Okura River Road and Vaughans Road upgrade
An investigation is under way into a proposed reconstruction of Okura River Road and Vaughans Road in Long Bay, and major works on the intersection between the two. Improvement works will also be done on the intersection between Okura River Road and East Coast Road
Latest updates
Consultation Feedback - Summary of results
Consultation
Consultation was undertaken from 17 October 2012 to 12 November 2012. The process involved:
Presentation to Hibiscus and Bays Local Board on 17 October 2012
Hand delivery of brochures and feedback forms to approximately 2500 households
Information evening on 17 October 2012 for directly affected property owners held at Okura Hall
Public information day on 27 October 12 at Okura Hall
Advertisements in the North Shore Times
Creation of a publically accessible project web site with on-line feedback facility
Feedback
Feedback was received from 39 respondents. A summary of the main feedback themes and Auckland Transport’s response to these is given below.
East Coast/ Okura River Rd Intersection |
Safety concerns for vehicles entering ORR from southbound direction along EC Rd |
2m wide shoulder has been added on EC Rd along the southern approach to the intersection. Vehicles will be able to pull off to side of road prior to turning into ORR |
Speed Limit |
Current speed limit of 80km/hr too high |
AT will review the speed limit before the detailed design stage of the project. However, the NZ Transport Agency has a framework that must be followed to permit a reduction in the speed limit. At this stage it is unlikely that the criteria will be met for a lowering of the speed limit |
Overhead Power lines |
Will these be undergrounded |
AT will liaise with the relevant network operator to co-ordinate the undergrounding of power lines. However, undergrounding will only be possible with financial contributions from the operator |
Implementation of upgrade |
Would prefer upgrade to take place earlier |
Project timescale is driven by the availability of funding in Council’s Long Term Plan and is therefore outside the control of AT. AT will however, lobby for implementation to take place as early as possible
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Summary
In general, the feedback received was positive and showed a preference for construction to be implemented in one go (rather than staged). The most popular features, in terms of priority were the footpaths, ahead of street illumination, landscaping and provision for a bridle trail (in that order).
Next Steps
During the next LTP process, Auckland Transport will lobby for funding for the proposed upgrade to be brought forward to enable the upgrade to proceed in advance of the connection of Vaughans Road to the new development at Long Bay. In the interim the project will be put on hold until funding becomes available.
Details of the Project
Auckland Transport is implementing the Long Bay Transport Infrastructure Programme which aims to increase the capacity of the transport network in the Long Bay area in harmony with forecast growth in residential households.
This investigation and consultation is focused on a single project – the Okura River Rd/ Vaughans Rd upgrade.
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Intersection: East Coast Road and Okura River Road |
Intersection: Okura River Road and Vaughans Road |
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Current state of Okura River Road |
Current state of Vaughans Road |
Objectives of the Long Bay Transport Infrastructure Plan
Improve access and circulation to and from the urban centre of the Long Bay urban centre and the wider urban road network.
Improve functionality of entry points and major routes to and from the Long Bay urban centre.
Provide routes that are appropriate for public transport, emergency services as well as general transport (commercial vehicles, private vehicles, cycling, walking).
Achieve improved environmental outcomes for the road corridors.
Okura River Rd/ Vaughans Rd project
The objectives for this project are to:
Support growth in Long Bay by improving network performance
Improve multi-modal connections
Improve the safety performance of the network
Create a context sensitive solution (rural nature, ridgeline, adjacent sensitive environments)
Address slope stability issues where appropriate
Mitigate environmental / ecological impacts as a result of the project
Consider other construction impacts both during and on completion
Provide a solution that can be implemented in stages
Compliance with allocated project budgets
The current preferred option is now ready to be put forward for public consultation. Feedback from the consultation exercise will then be used to complete the option evaluation exercise and allow the final preferred option to be confirmed.
Design
Detailed concept designs are available which outline the work being planned, including proposed retaining walls, footpaths, shared paths, cycle lanes and a bridle path. Some of these are flexible and may be subject to feedback from this consultation. Key milestones will be upgrades to the intersections between Okura River Road and East Coast Road, and with Vaughans Road.
Street lighting will be introduced as part of the project. It is proposed to use 7.5 metre high standards at 55 metre spacing.
The design pictured (right) is indicative only of the light-spill envelope and may be subject to change.
Click on the PDFs below for details of intersection plans and other options considered (file sizes are 3.1MB and 6.49MB).
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East Coast Road and Okura River Road
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Vaughans Road and Okura River Road intersection
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Cross section views are available on these maps - please click to enlarge. The concept plans will be available at the public open day on 27 October at Okura Hall.
Okura River Road
Vaughans Road East
Vaughans Road West
Cross-section of typical residential driveway
Funding
The delivery of the Okura River Road/ Vaughans Road upgrade project is dependent on the timing of funding allocations within the Auckland Council Long Term Plan (LTP).
The LTP sets out Auckland Council’s ten year vision for infrastructure developments within the Auckland region and sets the funding allocations for all capital projects. The 2012-2022 LTP was publically consulted upon in February 2012 and finalised in June 2012. Find more information on the Auckland Council 2012-2022 LTP on the Auckland Council website.
A summary of the Auckland Council 2012-2022 LTP uninflated funding allocations for the Package 1 project is given below:
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2012/13 ($‘000) |
2013/14 ($‘000) |
2014/15 ($‘000) |
2015/16 ($‘000) |
2016/17 ($‘000) |
2017/18 ($‘000) |
2018/19($‘000) |
2019/20 ($‘000) |
2020/21 ($‘000) |
2021/22 ($‘000) |
| Okura/ Vaughans Rd Upgrade |
0 |
0 |
223 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
434 |
954 |
2695 |
3366 |
Implementation timeframe
Given the limited budget allocated in the LTP, it will be necessary to implement the upgrade works in stages. The priority proposed for implementation is:
Stage 1 : Upgrade Vaughans Road
Stage 2 : Okura River Rd/ Vaughans Rd intersection
Stage 3 : East Coast Road/ Vaughans Rd intersection
Stage 4 : Upgrade Okura River Road
Stage 5 : Shared footpath along Okura River road and Vaughans Road
The consultation process