24 January 2002

Transit Regional Office

Auckland

Anniversary Weekend traffic urged to take alternative route north

Motorists heading north of Wellsford over Anniversary weekend are again being urged to use State Highway 16 as an alternative route to State Highway 1.

As during the Christmas and New Year holidays, Transit New Zealand, the New Zealand Police and Rodney District Council will be working closely to help make travelling easier and safer for the many thousands of people expected to head north over the coming weekend.

The main thrust of the inter agency strategy will be to minimise, as far as possible, congestion on the 30 kilometre stretch of SH1 between Silverdale and Warkworth.

Motorists travelling north of Wellsford are being asked to seriously consider using SH16, which can be accessed via the Northwestern Motorway from the city, and from Dairy Flat via Kahikatea Flat Road.

“Though SH16 is slightly longer than the more direct SH1 route, during peak travelling periods - Friday afternoon and Saturday morning and then again on Anniversary Day itself - motorists will find it quicker, particularly as they won’t have to deal with the returning traffic joining SH1 at Warkworth from Matakana and Sandspit,” says Transit Regional Manager Wayne McDonald.

To help facilitate traffic flows on Friday afternoon (25 January) and Monday afternoon (28 January), the following steps will be implemented:

ƒÞ Northbound traffic flows on SH1A (Northern Motorway between Silverdale interchange and Orewa roundabout) will be closely monitored and before queues form, a variable message sign three kilometres south of Silverdale will advise motorists to leave the motorway at the Silverdale interchange and head north through Orewa along State Highway 1.

ƒÞ Police on point duty will direct traffic through the roundabouts on Orewa’s Grand Drive and at the intersection of Westhoe Road and SH1.

ƒÞ Police will monitor the pedestrian crossing on SH1 at Wellsford and provide a pointsman for the SH16 intersection if necessary.

ƒÞ A variable message sign north of Wellsford will recommend that southbound traffic branch off SH1 at Wellsford and use SH16 to Auckland. (North Shore motorists can branch off SH16 at Kaukapakapa and head east across to SH17 at Dairy Flat and then onto SH1.)

ƒÞ On SH1, five southbound passing lanes - at Pohuehue (x2), Johnson’s Hill, Waiwera Hill and Hatfield’s Beach - will be closed between early afternoon and early evening on Sunday and Anniversary Day.

“Closing the passing lanes at peak congestion periods has been very effective, showing that traffic flows can be improved by as much as 10 per cent,” says Mr McDonald.

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