23 November 2012

Major Intersection work to start, Taharoto-Wairau Rd Upgrade

Auckland Transport is starting the next phase of the Taharoto-Wairau Road Upgrade in early December.

The $4.2 million construction works include a major upgrade of Milford’s Wairau Road/Forrest Hill Road and Nile Road/Forrest Hill Road intersections and the replacement of the old Wairau Creek Bridge, built in 1939.

Construction will be undertaken by contractor Dempsey Wood Civil Ltd. Work is expected to start during the week of 3 December and will be completed in late 2013.

The intersection improvements and bridge replacement are part of the staged Taharoto-Wairau Corridor Upgrade started in 2006 under the former North Shore City Council.

The upgrade is set to bring a large number of other benefits for all road users. These include:

· Replacement of an outdated bridge that will also allow for increased road capacity

· Additional traffic lanes to help ease congestion

· On-road cycle lanes for commuters and confident cyclists

· Off-road cycle lanes around school areas to cater for younger and less experienced cyclists

· Larger and better quality footpaths

· Additional pedestrian islands to help people cross the road safely

· Landscaping and undergrounding of overhead power and telecommunication lines to improve the look of the area

· Improved intersections due to the installation of traffic lights and additional marked lanes

· Resurfacing of the road for a smoother journey

A project of this size will bring some unavoidable disruption and inconvenience, but every effort will be made to keep negative impacts to a minimum.

Construction will continue throughout December and January to take advantage of the lower traffic volumes over the school holiday period.

Between 3 – 28 January, Wairau Road will be reduced to one lane in each direction to allow for the establishment of a large piling rig on site to drill holes for the new bridge supports. The bridge is being demolished and rebuilt in sections to avoid the need for a complete road closure. Additional traffic lanes will be reinstated on 29 January to coincide with the start of the school term.

Expect some delays to your journey time during the construction period and use alternative routes if possible.

For full project information and updates, visit Auckland Transport’s website www.aucklandtransport.govt.nz/wairau

-ENDS -

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Arguably Reassuring: Inspector-General Finds GCSB "Arguably" Legal

Of the 88 individuals:

• 15 cases involving 22 individuals did not have any information intercepted by GCSB.

• another four cases involving five individuals were the subjects of a New Zealand Security Intelligence Service warrant and the GCSB assisted in the execution of the warrants. The Inspector-General is of the view that there were arguably no breaches and the law is unclear.

• the Bureau only provided technical assistance which did not involve interception of communications, involving three of the individuals, so no breach occurred.

• the remaining cases involved the collection of metadata, and the Inspector-General formed the view that there had arguably been no breach, noting once again that the law is unclear.
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