Green Light For Mount Roskill Motorway

Transit New Zealand has moved a step closer to building the extension of State Highway 20 through the suburbs of Hillsborough and Mount Roskill following a decision by the Environment Court to dismiss the remaining appeals against the $145 million project.

“For the people of Auckland this decision represents a major step forward as the construction of the motorway is a key component of plans to resolve the region’s traffic congestion,” says Transit Regional Manager Wayne McDonald.

Mr McDonald gave the assurance that Transit would make every endeavour to protect the immediate environment of the new motorway while it was under construction. “Wherever possible we will also do our utmost to enhance the environment by applying appropriate landscaping and urban design features.”

The five-kilometre motorway extension will form part of Transit’s proposed Western Ring Route that will improve access between the southern and western suburbs of Auckland. Transit also has plans for extending SH20 through Avondale to complete the connection to the Northwestern Motorway, but this is still at the route investigation and community consultation stage.

Once completed, the Ring Route will provide a strategic alternative to the heavily congested Southern Motorway (SH1), by enabling north-south traffic to completely by-pass Auckland City and the Auckland Harbour Bridge.

The new SH20 Mt Roskill extension will include full interchanges at Hillsborough Road and Dominion Road, and will end with connections to Richardson Road and Stoddard Road in New Windsor. Local roads will be rerouted over the motorway and two new pedestrian and cycle bridges will also be built.

A cycleway will be provided along the entire length of the motorway corridor as well as provision for the future introduction of public transport in the form of both buses and rail.

The main construction works for the motorway extension, scheduled to begin by mid 2003, are scheduled to take up to four and a half years to complete. Invitations to tender for the main contract will be extended to contractors by November.

Tenders for the construction of the May Road Bridge are being prepared and construction is scheduled to start early next year.

Some early works to construct a major stormwater pond at Beachcroft Avenue in Hillsborough have already begun. The pond will treat stormwater from the existing motorway, and new areas of road, before it is discharged into Onehunga Bay. “This will significantly improve the quality of the water and hence benefit the overall Onehunga Bay environment,” says Mr McDonald.

Construction is also about to start on a new services tunnel at May Road to prevent disruption to electricity and gas supplies when the motorway is built.

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