Community information days for airport link upgrade

Public information days are being planned by the NZ Transport Agency next month to keep communities informed of plans to improve the State Highway 20A/Kirkbride Road intersection in south-west Auckland.

Key features of the project include the construction of a trench that will carry SH20A – the main road link to and from Auckland Airport – under Kirkbride Road, new facilities on local roads for walkers and cyclists, and the provision for future bus shoulders on the state highway.

The information days will be held at the following locations:-

Saturday 11 October: Mangere Markets, Mangere Town Centre (7am to 2pm)

Monday 13 October: Mangere Central Community Centre, 241 Kirkbride Road (3pm to 7pm)

Wednesday 15 October: Mangere Central Community Centre, 241 Kirkbride Road (3pm to 7pm)

Saturday 18 October: Sudima Hotel Auckland Airport, 18 Airpark Drive, Airport Oaks (11am to 3pm)

The information days are part of a commitment to keep people informed about the project, says the Transport Agency’s Highway Manager Brett Gliddon.

“We hope as many people as possible accept our open invitation to come along and meet our team and learn more about the improvements this project will make.”

Mr Gliddon says keeping Kirkbride Road at its present level and sending motorway traffic underneath will improve local connections and safety for people on either side of the current intersection.

“Separating the two roads means children will no longer have to cross a busy state highway to get to and from school,” he says. “The airport’s also expected to become a lot busier in the future and separating SH20A from Kirkbride will help manage that.”

The SH20A to Airport project is one of four transport programmes that are being accelerated by the Government to help manage the projected growth in population, jobs, and freight in Auckland. The others are the East West Connection on the north side of Manukau Harbour, and improvements to the Northern and Southern Corridors along State Highway 1.

Construction is due to start in 2015. To minimise disruption to people, it is timed to coincide with work to construct Watercare’s Hunua 4 pipeline across the Kirkbride Road intersection.

Mr Gliddon says that in addition to next month’s public information days, community newsletters and a project website will be used to help keep people informed of what is happening.

”We are committed to working with the community and keeping them up to date with what is going on,” Mr Gliddon says.

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