Stay in Lane – changes ahead on SH16

The NZ Transport Agency is advising motorists to expect on-going lane changes from early next month when driving on Auckland’s Northwestern Motorway (SH16).

From Monday 2 March, the two left-hand citybound lanes between Te Atatu Road and Rosebank Road will be moved to the north and separated from the right-hand lane for about 1.5km. The three lanes will re-join at Rosebank Road.

“This will be the first of several staged lane changes during the next two years to provide the Causeway Alliance with safe access to raise and widen the motorway while keeping it open to three lanes of traffic in each direction,” says the Transport Agency’s Auckland and Northland Highway Manager Brett Gliddon.

“Motorists will need to choose their lane early and stay in that lane. We need everyone to be even more alert and attentive when driving this section of the highway: to read early warning signage advising of the changes, choose their lane and stay in it.

“Citybound motorists wanting to exit at Patiki Road will need to make sure they are in the left lane before the lanes separate just south of the Te Atatu Road on-ramp.”

In order to prepare for the motorway lane changes, there will be some overnight road closures from the following times:

Time closed Time open Road closed
4.30pm, Sunday 1 March 5am, Monday 2 March Te Atatu Loop on-ramp citybound closed
5pm, Sunday 1 March 5am, Monday 2 March SH16 left-lane citybound and Patiki Road exit citybound closed
8.30pm, Sunday 1 March 5am, Monday 2 March Te Atatu Peninsula on-ramp citybound closed
9pm, Sunday 1 March 5am, Monday 2 March SH16 citybound closed

All westbound lanes and the Northwestern cycleway will remain open. This work may be deferred until Sunday 8 March if there is wet weather.

The Causeway Alliance expects that the lanes will be separated for about six weeks before all three lanes are located to the north and work begins on the westbound lanes.

This work is part of the Causeway Upgrade Project, one of six projects either completed or under construction to link the Northwestern (SH16) and Southwestern (SH20) motorways providing a motorway alternative to SH1 known as the Western Ring Route. The project is raising and widening 4.8km of SH16 and the cycleway, from Great North Road to the Whau River bridge just before Te Atatu.

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