29 January 2013

Milestone for major east Auckland project

A bridge on one of Auckland’s busiest roads has been demolished and work is underway on a new higher, longer replacement.

The new Ellerslie-Panmure Highway bridge is one of three being built for the $100m first phase of the Auckland Manukau Eastern Transport Initiative (AMETI) in Panmure. The bridges will be higher and longer for rail electrification and a new road to run underneath next to the rail line.

Mayor Len Brown and Auckland Transport Chairman Lester Levy marked the start of work on the new bridge this morning.

The old Ellerslie-Panmure Highway bridge next to Panmure Station was demolished during the Christmas period, traffic is temporarily using a new bridge built for a future busway.

The current AMETI construction also includes a new Panmure Station building and upgrade, a new 1.5km north-south road, a 220m tunnel next to the station for the new road, improvements to Van Damm’s Lagoon reserve, new cycle lanes and footpath improvements.

Two of the bridges are complete and the roof is being built for the tunnel, which 2500 truckloads of rock were excavated from. The columns and floor for the new Panmure Station building are complete and work on the structure begins soon.

The new Ellerslie-Panmure Highway bridge will open to traffic in August with the rest of the Phase One construction due to finish in 2014.

The Mayor has welcomed the excellent progress being made on AMETI, one of Auckland’s top priority transport projects.

“When the work on phase one is complete, it will have benefits for both the Panmure community and people travelling to, from and through that part of Auckland," says Len Brown.

“However the really big gains for transport in the area come with the next phase – replacing Panmure roundabout with an intersection and building a busway from Panmure Station to Pakuranga town centre, something that will considerably cut journey times in this part of East Auckland.”

Auckland Transport Chairman Lester Levy says this stage of AMETI work, being built by Fletcher, is one of Auckland’s biggest transport construction jobs.

“The project takes an integrated approach to improving transport - with work on roads, public transport and walking and cycling infrastructure.

“The planned new road will create a quicker, more direct north-south link between Glen Innes and Mt Wellington. The new Panmure Station building will make it quicker and easier to transfer between buses and trains.”

About the AMETI transport projects

The $1.5 billion Auckland Manukau Eastern Transport Initiative (AMETI) is a group of transport projects for the south east (Panmure, Mt Wellington, Pakuranga, Howick and Botany).

The aim is to give people in the area better transport choices by improving public transport, walking and cycling facilities and reducing traffic congestion. Other major aims are to create jobs by unlocking the economic potential of the area, improve transport for freight and business traffic and to promote good urban design.

AMETI Phase One: New road linking Mt Wellington Highway and Morrin Rd, Panmure Station upgrade, Van Damm’s Lagoon improvements, walking and cycling paths, busway bridge and two bridge replacements.

AMETI Phase Two: Panmure to Pakuranga – new intersection to replace Panmure roundabout, busway from Panmure Station to Pakuranga town centre, walking and cycle paths, Reeves Rd flyover in Pakuranga.

Future Developments: Sylvia Park bus interchange and route improvements, busway extended to Botany along the centre of Ti Rakau Dr, East-West link improvements, extension of new AMETI Rd to Merton Rd.

The NZ Transport Agency and Auckland Council are major funders of AMETI.

---ENDS ---

© Scoop Media

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.
More>>