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Last Part of the Western Ring Route Contracts Awarded

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Contract Awarded for St Lukes Road Interchange to Great North Road Interchange of the North Western Motorway

 

I do not usually run NZTA media releases but this one I will as it shows we are nearly there with the completion of the long awaited Western Ring Route.

From NZTA:

Contract award for next stage of Western Ring Route

5 Feb 2014 04:35pm | NZ Transport Agency: Auckland and Northland

The contract to construct the next stage of Auckland’s Western Ring Route – upgrading the Northwestern Motorway (State Highway 16) between the St Lukes Road and Great North Road interchanges – has been awarded to the Australian-based infrastructure company, Leighton Contractors.

The $70m project is jointly funded by the NZ Transport Agency and Auckland Transport.

A two kilometre-long section of the motorway will be widened from three to four lanes in each direction.  There will also be improvements to the motorway ramps and the St Lukes Road -Great North Road intersection, while the St Lukes Road overbridge spanning the motorway will be widened to benefit drivers, walkers and cyclists.

The Transport Agency’s Highways Manager, Tommy Parker, says this is the last of six projects to connect the Northwestern and Southwestern (SH20) motorways.

“The upgrade is part of our programme to get our network ready for the increased volume of traffic when the Waterview tunnels connecting the Northwestern and Southwestern (SH20) motorways are completed in early 2017,” Mr Parker says.

Work is due to start in mid-autumn and be completed by late 2016.   The other projects to connect the two motorways are the upgrade of the Maioro Street interchanges (SH20) which is completed, and the upgrade of the Lincoln and Te Atatu interchanges, the Causeway Upgrade Project, and the Waterview Connection, which are all under construction.

“Leightons bring plenty of infrastructure experience to the St Lukes project. The company is part of the Causeway alliance, and has been involved in some of our biggest Auckland developments including the Northern Gateway Toll Road and the Newmarket Viaduct Replacement Project.” Mr Parker says.

The Western Ring Route is a Road of National Significance, and will provide a 47km-long alternative to SH1 between Albany and Manukau.  It will improve safety and city and regional transport connections for people and freight.

—-ends—-

Source: http://www.nzta.govt.nz/about/media/releases/3170/news.html

 

It will be good to have the entire project finished as for one I would be using it as the main highway between my place on Papakura and my mum’s place in Te Atatu (thus skipping the CBD and Central Motorway junction).

I was thinking once the Western Ring Route is fully completed, should it be converted to State Highway One with State Highway 20 taking the Manukau to CBD section while State Highway 18 taking the CBD to Albany section. State Highway one was always designed to be the inter-city and inter-regional road link with the State Highways 20, 16 and 18 being the intra-regional highways. So with the Western Ring Route soon to be completed and serving as the primary inter-regional route for cars and road freight (as it will by-pass the Harbour Bridge and the CBD) I believe it should carry the State Highway One shield.

I also noted this from the release:

The Western Ring Route is a Road of National Significance, and will provide a 47km-long alternative to SH1 between Albany and Manukau.  It will improve safety and city and regional transport connections for people and freight.

Manukau and Albany – the two touted Super Metropolitan Centres of Auckland serving as regional people, commerce, freight and industrial service (for Manukau) hubs for their areas and partnering areas (Manukau with the Northern Waikato and Albany for Northland). Both Super Metropolitan Centres sit on the two boundaries of the Western Ring Route.

 

Berms Issue Back

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And the Solution is oh so Simple!

 

Councillor Cameron Brewer made an off-hand remark to New Zealand Herald’s Bernard Orsman about how the special one-off Auckland International Airport Dividend of $101 million should be used to restore berm mowing to areas of the Isthmus that had it before the Super City came into existence.

From The Aucklander – Division of the NZ Herald

Council returns to mowing berms in Auckland

By Bernard Orsman  6:49 AM Monday Feb 3, 2014

Residents who can’t cut the grass, or refuse to, will get a trim but contractors can wait until it is 20cm high.

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Orakei councillor Cameron Brewer said he planned an amendment for the proper reinstatement of berm mowing, which could be funded from a special $101 million dividend from Auckland Airport, or internal savings.

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Source: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/aucklander/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503378&objectid=11195808

 

It is one of the few times condemnation from both the Centre Left and Right were rather swift against Councillor Brewer for mentioned that a dividend would be used for a OPEX rather than CAPEX line (Opex means Operational Budget for Day to Day running of the Council, CAPEX is your Capital Expenditure – that is investment into things like infrastructure).

That $101 million would be best set for infrastructure like say some cycle ways, the St Johns Station, maybe the Manukau South Rail Link and some grade separation of our dangerous rail crossings, perhaps some storm-water infrastructure or paying down some debt which actually is not a bad suggestion from Councillor George Wood.

But to pay for OPEX expenses like berms for a few on the Isthmus? I think not.

 

Look the solution is dead simple for the berm situation.

I recommend that the issue be sent to the Local Boards for their final decision. That is if the respective Local Board would like berm mowing for their residential areas then they would have the chance to:

  • Pass a targeted rate for the service as two Local Boards did for universal free-swimming pools (rather than the Auckland-wide policy of free for under-16’s)
  • Have the opportunity to tender the service out to either:
    • Auckland Council’s Park Services main contractor
    • Auckland Transport’s berm contractor
    • Local private sector contractor

If I was to say the Papakura Local Board and was going to charge a targeted rate for berm mowing for the area I would tender the service out to a local firm in the area (if possible). This means a local business with local area knowledge has the chance of providing a service to the community of Papakura and providing employment to the local area. More local employment means more spending and more investment in the area. I call that a Win-win-win-major win if this was able to occur.

So lets kick this issue of berm mowing to the goal line once and for all and hand it over to the Local Boards to decide rather than the main Governing Body.

As for the Isthmus and their berms I found this rather telling from a comment on Cameron Brewer’s public Facebook remark on the issue (note Cameron did not write this comment but a ratepayer of Auckland did):

We drove to the airport back in October and went through Gillies Ave and Manukau Rd. Those who had not mown their berms in the upmarket area should be ashamed of themselves. The neighbours would be really annoyed with them. As we drove through the not so affluent area all the berms were mowed nice and tidily (bar one that had construction activity in the adjacent section). I would be mowing the neighbour’s unmown berm myself because it affects your own place. And most of the houses bedside the umown berms had lovely tidy mown lawns.

 

And I can vouch for that the numerous times I have travelled through the Isthmus. That said the commenter and myself are not painting our affluent areas all with the same tar brush as there are some who do mow their berms and look after them. What was telling though was where however, most of the issues were coming from on the Isthmus. Also at the same time there are those on the Isthmus who have converted their berms to gardens of different varieties. This should be encouraged rather than punished as it does add spice and “colour” to Auckland.

 

Cycling – a Rehash

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An Article and a Redux

 

I caught on Twitter yesterday this from Campbell Live:

So cue watching Campbell live for the cycling clip and article which you see here below

Future plans for Auckland cycleways announced

By  Thursday 30 Jan 2014 7:13p.m.

 

Auckland Mayor Len Brown and Campbell Live reporter Lachlan Forsyth took on Auckland’s traffic this afternoon to discuss the future plans for Auckland’s cycleways.

“We’re doing around 1000km of cycle pedestrian way, we want to do that over 30 years,” says Mr Brown.

Figures from Lobby group Gen Zero suggest Auckland’s per capita investment in cycling is woeful – $5.70 compared to Dunedin’s $14.90 and Wellington’s $21. At $37, Christchurch spends more than seven times as much.

“We have not been spending enough and we will be looking to spend more, reflecting a sentiment amongst Aucklanders that we really need to have the options up,” says Mr Brown.

The Mayor has stated that he wants a higher prioritisation of cycling projects against other transport initiatives, the construction of Skypath, and a $900 million 1000 km cycle network completed over the next 30 years.

Auckland Transport already has an annual budget of $1.1 billion, overseeing more than 7000km of road.The Skypath is a much needed link for pedestrians and cyclists over the Harbour Bridge, but Mr Brown says a final decision will be made in the next few months.

“It really depends on how we go with our discussions with the Northcote community and St Mary’s Bay community.”

One problem that cyclists often come across is traffic lights not registering them. This means the lights stay red unless a car comes along.

Read more: http://www.3news.co.nz/Future-plans-for-Auckland-cycleways-announced/tabid/817/articleID/330403/Default.aspx#ixzz2rumaJya7

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Long story short it is material already covered before and unless the 2015 Long Term Plan changes the funding allocation (discussion on the LTP is later this year) we will be maintaining the status quo in building cycling infrastructure. That said I have noticed the South Auckland Local Boards being proactive with adding more cycling infrastructure ranging from the green paint, to shared paths, to even the odd dedicated cycle path, to improving intersection crossings. While it is mainly remedial works to improve existing areas none the less the respective Local Boards seem to be doing more than other areas in Auckland.

 

Most recent piece of remedial works was here in Manukau (I’ll get pictures when next down there)

 

And some examples of cycling infrastructure that is already in place and being added to over time

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What does limit the Local Boards doing more is the piddly budgets they get from the main Council to carry out these kind of beneficial tasks. Sadly this 2014/2015 Annual Plan and possibly the 2015 Long Term Plan will see Local Boards get no more money to the point they could be facing cuts to their budgets. Rather unacceptable in my eyes as the Local Boards are more responsive than the Governing Body in tending to local beneficial projects…

 

Finally I noted on Campbell Live this:

 

To which I say it is time for the redux here: Cycling Accident Leaves Larger Questions To Be Answered

Some solutions that are short, medium and long term were all provided as examples.