New section of motorway brings major changes for Grafton Gully traffic

Transit New Zealand advises that a new stretch of motorway will open in Grafton Gully on Monday 24 February. The new road alignment will replace the Grafton Road off-ramp for both Southern and Northwestern motorway traffic.

The new 700-metre stretch of motorway will take traffic under the Wellesley St Bridge (currently under construction) and the new Grafton Road Bridge into Stanley Street. The motorway will end at a new signalised intersection at Alten Road and Stanley Street.

While message signs on the motorway will alert motorists of significant changes, motorists are asked to take note of the following:

Traffic coming from the Northwestern Motorway (SH16)

On Friday 21 February, access to the Grafton Road off-ramp will be closed at 7.30pm, and traffic from the Northwestern Motorway will be moved immediately onto the new alignment. Access to the city centre will then be via the new signalised intersection at Alten Road.

Traffic coming from the Southern Motorway

On Friday 21 February, access to the Grafton Road off-ramp for traffic from the Southern Motorway will be closed at 7.30pm. Access will be available on the newly constructed alignment from 6am on Monday 24 February.

During closures, Transit recommends that motorists use alternative motorway exits including Symonds Street, Khyber Pass and Wellesley Street.

New signalised intersection

A further change to the new alignment will be a signalised intersection at Alten Road and Stanley Street, which will open on Friday 21 February. This intersection will re-open the left and right turn from Alten Road into Stanley Street and will also allow straight-ahead access to Nicholls Lane. The new intersection will eliminate the diversion through Churchill Street which will revert to being closed to through traffic.

Transit Regional Manager, Wayne McDonald, explains that until the Wellesley Street Bridge on and off-ramps are completed later in the year, access to the area will be somewhat limited. “We are therefore asking motorists to use alternative routes where possible,” he says. “In the meantime, we appreciate the co-operation we are getting from motorists.”

Advertisements detailing the new alignment will be published in the New Zealand Herald and suburban newspapers. Motorists who want specific traffic information are invited to phone 0800 TO FREEFLOW (863 733).

Additional information about this project is available by phoning the 0800 number or visiting the public information centre on the corner of Alten Road & Stanley Street, Grafton.

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