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Anyone with a point of view on a proposed redesign of the Hill Street intersection in Warkworth has until December 17 to have their say.
The new design features:
- A five-arm roundabout at the Brown Road/Great North Road intersection
- A three-arm roundabout through the Sandspit Road and Matakana Road intersection
- A free turning lane from Matakana Road to Elizabeth Street
- Cycling and walking facilities including two boardwalks
- Safer pedestrian crossing points.
It is a compromise between Auckland Transport’s cost saving ‘valued engineering’ design and the design favoured by the One Mahurangi Business Association.
Once feedback has been assessed, Auckland Transport will complete a detailed final design and apply to Waka Kotahi for construction funding. All going well, construction could start next year.
The build will cost around $19 million and take about 18 months to complete.
The intersection at the junction of the old State Highway 1 has been a congestion bottleneck for decades, and the wider intersection layout incorporates five roads heading to the Warkworth town centre, Matakana and the Mahurangi East Peninsula.
AT’s group manager for infrastructure project delivery, Mark Banfield, described the intersection as “complex and confusing”.
“Since the Ara Tūhono – Pūhoi to Warkworth motorway and Te Honohono ki Tai Road opened in June, traffic volumes at the Hill Street intersection have halved,” Banfield said. “However, Warkworth is a growing area and local traffic using the intersection is expected to increase.
“As AT prepares to take over the management of the old state highway – a process called revocation – now’s the time to confirm an improved design to make the intersection easier and safer to use.
“The current layout has little in the way of safe walking and cycling facilities, it doesn’t fit with future plans for the area, or create a welcoming connection to the Warkworth town centre.”
Banfield said a number of different designs were considered and the latest option struck the right balance to provide access to key locations, reduce congestion, minimise environmental impact and allow safe access for “active modes” – cycling and walking.
One Mahurangi co-chair Dave Stott said the proposed final design was the culmination of decades of lobbying to local and central government from the local community.
“We are delighted that a solution has at last been achieved and that, subject to funding, construction could start next year,” Stott said.
