Auckland Regional Office

25 October 2002

MEDIA RELEASE

Northbound Traffic Should Watch Out For Helpful Road Signs

Motorists heading north of Auckland over Labour Weekend should be on the lookout for road signs on SH1 that could make their journeys easier.

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.

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

- 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 either through Orewa along SH1 or along SH17 and Kahikatea Flat Road to link up with SH16 at Kaukapakapa.

- 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.) “Though SH16 is slightly longer than the more direct SH1 route, during peak travelling periods 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.

- Depending on weather conditions and traffic volumes, three southbound passing lanes on SH1 – at Johnson’s Hill, Waiwera Hill and Hatfield’s Beach – will be closed between early afternoon and early evening on Sunday and Monday.

“Past experience has shown that closing the passing lanes at peak congestion periods can be very effective, showing that traffic flows can be improved by as much as 10 per cent,” says Wayne McDonald.

ends

© Scoop Media