Wellsford motorway route still on drawing board

There has been no progress on designating a route for the Warkworth to Wellsford leg of the northern motorway.

Kaipara District Council has raised concerns that the designation has not been included in Auckland Council’s proposed Unitary Plan.An Auckland Council spokesperson says the route will not be included in planning until the NZ Transport Agency lodges a Notice of Requirement detailing the route.

NZTA media manager Sarah Azam says an indicative route for the section of motorway hasn’t been identified yet. She wouldn’t be drawn on when the details would be released. However, the agency still hopes to build a motorway separate from the existing Dome Valley route, she says.

“A new motorway, separate to the current SH1, remains the Transport Agency’s preferred long-term option to improve the safety, reliability and resilience of the state highway network for freight, tourism and road users,” she says.

“With the designation and resource consents for the Puhoi to Warkworth section now in place, the next step is to identify and protect a route for the Wellsford section. We will keep the community updated on the progress with this.”

Meanwhile, the designation of the proposed Matakana Link Road, which would provide an alternative connection to Matakana Road by bypassing Hill Street, has not been included in the proposed Unitary Plan.“While this possible road has been talked about in the community and by Auckland Transport (AT) and NZTA, the Council has not received a Notice of Requirement to protect the route in the district plan,” a Council spokesperson says.

The proposed road from Morrison Drive to SH1, near McKinney Road, has also not been included in the plan. The road forms part of the Western Collector Route, which NZTA and Rodney District Council agreed to deliver in 2006.

Auckland Transport has not earmarked funding for the route, but it is a candidate for funding in the future, the spokesperson says.However, the designation of the Mansel Drive Bridge route, linking Mansel Drive and Falls Road, is included in the plan.