Consultations and construction due to start rather soon

Greater Auckland has done their usual Auckland Transport Board Meeting roundup – this one for September. I took a look to find out what is happening with Southern Auckland and we have two meaty bits about to be served for the South.

Airport to Botany Rapid Transit.

Those who follow the Blog, my Facebook, Linkedin or Twitter accounts know that Airport to Botany or A2B is a project very close to my heart (along with #ourmanukau urban regeneration). Every month I will go cruising through the Local Board agenda reports for Howick, and Otara/Papatoetoe seeing what latest tidbit of information we have on A2B.

This time around it is the AT Board with the latest tidbit:

Airport to Botany

The upgrade of the Puhinui Station gets underway later this month and will the be first physical work to take place on what will eventually be a rapid transit route from the Airport to Botany (A2B). The business case for A2B is due to go to the AT Board next month

The Short-Term Airport Access Improvement Single Stage Business Case is being finalised and will be reported to the October Board meeting. Development of the Airport to Botany Rapid Transit Single Stage Business Case is on-going with assessments either underway or completed for the preferred route, mode and station locations.

It also appears the plan is to start public engagement on A2B and the shorter-term improvements for access to the airport in November.

They also say “Detailed design for bus priority on Puhinui Road and Lambie Drive is progressing with 50 per cent completed and reviewed internally.”

Source: Greater Auckland

The AT Forward Planner did indicate that A2B was to go to the Board for decisions. This assumed it was final route selection inside Manukau for Stage 1 (due to be completed 2021) and mode preference (Bus or Light Rail) for Stage 2 (due to completed by 2026-2028 in time for the Eastern Busway to be completed at Botany).

It is to note bus lane and intersection priority work continues for both Puhinui Road and Lambie Drive.

Again it is noted that consultation for A2B is to resume again in November. Looking forward to it Auckland Transport.

For more information see: https://at.govt.nz/projects-roadworks/airport-to-botany-rapid-transit/

Redoubt Road 2+1 Dynamic Lanes

According to the Auckland Transport Capital Forward Planner the Redoubt Road dynamic lanes are set for construction and most likely completion by the end of the 19/20 year. Dynamic lanes are like what is seen on the Panmure Bridge where the amount of lanes in a single direction can change. So in the morning peak there would be two lanes heading down Redoubt Road to Manukau and in the afternoon peak two lanes heading to the Hollyford Drive intersection.

Per Auckland Transport:

• Redoubt Rd – Later this month AT will be consulting on plans to add a dynamic lane to Redoubt Rd in Manukau. This is likely to be similar to the one on Whangaparoa Rd.

2+1 dynamic lanes is a road optimisation tool to get the best bang for buck out of your existing road space before resorting to expensive and disruptive road widening – particularly when the congestion issues are at peak time only (including Saturdays).

In fact here is Auckland Transport with the update this afternoon:

Congestion relief coming to Redoubt Road

04/09/2019 01:01 p.m.

To reduce congestion, Auckland Transport (AT) will be installing dynamic lanes on a 350-metre section of Redoubt Road in Manukau, between the Southern Motorway offramp and Hollyford Drive.

Dynamic lanes use overhead signs and on road lights (cats eyes) to change the direction of centre lane. Many Aucklanders will have experience with these lanes, as they already operate in Auckland on Panmure Bridge, Auckland Harbour Bridge, and Whangaparaoa Road.

AT’s Group Manager for Network Management, Randhir Karma says since the installation of dynamic lanes on Whangaparaoa Road, all road users have seen fantastic results. “We know it has made for shorter and more reliable journey times.”

Mr Karma says that like Whangaparaoa Road in the past, this section of Redoubt Road has particularly bad traffic at certain times of the day.

“On weekday afternoons, most vehicles on Redoubt Road are heading away from Manukau. They have to merge into one lane at the start of Redoubt, near the motorway offramp. This can cause significant delays.”

“We will change the direction of the centre lane between 4pm and 7pm on weekdays. Removing that pinch point and allowing traffic to flow.”

Safety is a key priority for AT with independent safety checks undertaken and close monitoring of the lanes to continue throughout.

Construction will begin in October 2019, with the dynamic lanes set to be operating by early 2020.

Source: Congestion relief coming to Redoubt Road

Busy times ahead for the Manukau and Puhinui areas of Southern Auckland.