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The public got its second look at the design of the O Mahurangi Penlink road last week.
The original design was presented to the public three months ago and has since been refined.
An Open Day was held by the alliance formed to build the project (Waka Kotahi, Fulton Hogan, HEB Construction, Aurecon and Tonkin & Taylor) on November 9 at The Archer, near where the new road will intersect with Whangaparāoa Road.
It is that intersection that is causing the most concern for some residents, especially those who live near the new connection, and Albany Ward councillor Wayne Walker.
Cr Walker says although the new design has improvements that will mean less delays, the signalised intersection will still pause the traffic flow and has the potential to back up in the rush hour for those heading towards Silverdale on Whangaparāoa Road.
“It could shift the bottleneck from Silverdale to the centre of the peninsula,” he says.
The changes include adding another westbound lane, after Cedar Terrace, heading onto Penlink, which Waka Kotahi says is because updated traffic predictions showed a need to future proof capacity. This has made the road six lanes at its widest point.
At the Open Day last week, a member of the design team said she was being asked ‘why is [the road] so big?’ She said the number of lanes now make it a highly efficient part of the network, designed to ensure there is no congestion at that point.
“We are committed to making this work for Whangaparāoa Road, so no-one will need to rat-run,” she said. “The lights are on 70-second phasing – so that should be the maximum wait time.”
Cr Walker disagrees, saying for many commuters, Vipond Road, not designed for high volumes of traffic, will become the preferred route because it bypasses the new intersection.
“There will be more stress on other parts of the network,” he says.
He says the design clearly prioritises Penlink over Whangaparāoa Road.
“Being cynical, I could say it is making the toll road the more attractive option, but it’s not in the best interests of traffic flow.”
When the design was first revealed to the public, in August, it became clear how significant the intersection is. Originally a T-intersection with Beverley Road had been suggested on preliminary images but instead, the design showed Penlink continuing further south to flow into Whangaparāoa Road near New World supermarket. This was to prevent Beverley Road from becoming part of a major intersection, and also allows construction to be less disruptive. Waka Kotahi has said that during most of the construction time, motorists, cyclists and pedestrians will be able to continue to use Whangaparāoa Road as usual.
Design changes made since then are, Waka Kotahi says, to improve outcomes for the environment and the community, following more detailed traffic counts and observations.
Cr Walker says he would have liked to see more designs put on the table back in August. It is now too late, he says.
Although resource consents are all in place, he says Waka Kotahi still has to demonstrate to Auckland Council that what it is doing is not too different from what was originally proposed.
“In my opinion the intersection is a lot different,” he says.
“Alternatives should have been put on the table, but there is a reluctance to do that. They just want to tweak what they have already got. There has been too little engagement with the community on the design, and it’s come too late.”
He is considering holding a community meeting on the issue, but is seeking more information first.
“It’s counting down – there is no time to lose,” he says.
What happens now • Following the Open Day, the O Mahurangi team will consider feedback from the community, directly affected neighbours and local businesses to inform the detailed design. • Enabling works start in January with main construction scheduled to commence in October 2023. The build will begin from the SH1 end, then move into Stillwater, the bridge over the Weiti River and the Whangaparāoa Peninsula side last. Completion is estimated to be in December, 2026. • Government is yet to decide whether or not the road will be tolled. Waka Kotahi was to provide information and analysis of the 3337 submissions made about tolling on its website in June, but this has not yet been made public. • Feedback on the new design closed on November 18. People can still call 0800 736 5465 or email omahurangi@nzta.govt.nz if they have questions.
Cedar Terrace issues Turning right onto Whangaparāoa Road out of Cedar Terrace is hazardous, and the latest design has taken that into consideration and means motorists will only be able to make left turns in and out of Cedar Terrace once O Mahurangi Penlink is built. Cedar Terrace resident Paul Dobson says, while drivers rarely turn right out of the road now, the change makes a bad design even worse. He was hoping access could be improved in and out of Cedar Terrace, perhaps by re-routing it across the reserve to join the signalised intersection. “When cars bank up at the lights it will be even harder to get out,” he says. “Coming from Silverdale, we will need to do a U turn to get into Cedar Terrace. He has communicated his concerns to Waka Kotahi, but says apart from the update on the new plan he has been ignored. Waka Kotahi transport services project director, Norman Collier, says the creation of the second westbound lane on Whangaparāoa Road to join Penlink means that right turns in and out of Cedar Terrace would be unsafe. This is because vehicles would have to cross multiple lanes of traffic, and slowing vehicles would cause safety issues. “Motorists will be able to use the Whangaparāoa Road/Scott Road intersection for right-hand turns,” he says. “Higher numbers of right-turn out manoeuvres are observed at this intersection, suggesting motorists are already using this route.” Right hand turns out of Scott Road onto Whangaparāoa Road are already used as an alternative by Cedar Terrace residents, but can also be unsafe. Collier says additional measures are being considered at the Scott Road intersection to improve safety. Dobson says that Cedar Terrace will also be affected by noise from the new road. “It’s a quiet street at the moment, but with no noise barriers planned, we expect that to change. We had a meeting with Fulton Hogan and were told there was a noise report about the likely effects on local residents,” Dobson says. He has been asking to see that report but so far without success. Hibiscus Matters will also request this – if necessary, through the Official Information Act.
