Taharoto-Wairau Road Upgrade

Wairau Road/Forrest Hill Road and Nile Road intersection improvements 

A further stage is underway in the on-going project to upgrade the Taharoto-Wairau road corridor. 

Latest updates

13 May 2013

Auckland Transport has reached the halfway mark in its $4.2 million upgrade of the Wairau Road/Forrest Hill Road and Nile Road/Forrest Hill Road intersections on the North Shore. 

The milestone is marked by completion of the first half of the new Wairau Creek Bridge, which will replace the outdated bridge built in 1939.

During the week beginning Monday 20 May, northbound traffic will be diverted on to the newly-built section of bridge, while the remainder of the old bridge is demolished and rebuilt.

Auckland Transport urges motorists to adhere to the temporary 30km/h speed limit through the construction zone and be aware of road layout changes on the northbound approach to the bridge.

Media Release

Photo gallery

17 May

Laying Beams​	Wairau Bridge preparing piles.​

3 May

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Concrete pour on the new Wairau Bridge​.	Water main being installed​.

20 April

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Night works at the crossing on Wairau Rd​	First section of the permanent water main on Wairau Road​

5 April

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The first section of the old Wairau Creek Bridge being removed​	Three more beams have not been placed for the new Wairau Creek Bridge (now six in total)​

Retaining wall and capping on the Albany side of  the Wairau Creek bridge	New footpath poured on the corner of Nile and Forrest Hill Road​

 
7 February

Gas main diversion on the new Wairau Bridge​	Retaining wall being constructed on the                            Wairau Creek bridge​

December 2012

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A casing being lifted into a new Wairau Creek Bridge pile ​	A new temporary road layout with one lane in each direction on Wairau Road​

The Project

The $4.2 million construction works include a major upgrade of the Wairau Road/Forrest Hill Road and Nile Road/Forrest Hill Road intersections and the replacement of the old Wairau Creek Bridge.

Construction will be undertaken by contractor Dempsey Wood Civil Ltd, started before Christmas and is expected to be completed late 2013.

Benefits

The upgrade is set to bring a large number of other benefits for all road users. These include:

• Replacement of an outdated bridge that will also allow for increased road capacity
• Additional traffic lanes to help ease congestion
• On-road cycle lanes for commuters and confident cyclists
• Off-road cycle lanes around school areas to cater for younger and less experienced cyclists
• Larger and better quality footpaths
• Additional pedestrian islands to help people cross the road safely
• Landscaping and undergrounding of overhead power and telecommunication lines to improve the look of the area
• Improved intersections due to the installation of traffic lights and additional marked lanes
• Resurfacing of the road for a smoother journey 

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View of the existing intersection​	An artist's impression of how the intersection may look​

Background

The intersection improvements and bridge replacement are part of the seven-stage Taharoto-Wairau Road Upgrade started in 2006 under the former North Shore City Council.

Four stages have already been completed, including a section of Wairau Road outside Westlake Girls High School, the Wairau Road/Shakespeare Road/Taharoto Road intersection, a section of Taharoto Road between Shakespeare Road and Northcote Road, and improvements to Shakespeare Road and the North Shore Hospital entrance.

The improvements to the Wairau/Forrest Hill and Forrest Hill/Nile intersections will see the completion of a further two stages.

The final stage proposes to widen Wairau Road between the Wairau/Forrest Hill intersection and Shakespeare Road.

Construction details

The project will provide significant improvements to two intersections - Wairau Road/Forrest Hill Road and Nile Road/Forrest Hill Road.

The upgrade also includes the replacement of the old northbound Wairau Creek Bridge, built in 1939. The road surface on the new bridge will be built to the same level as the other existing Wairau Road traffic lanes.  A huge drilling rig hs been brought in to drill piles for the new bridge (see image right)

The project is causing some unavoidable disruption and inconvenience, but every effort is being made to keep negative impacts to a minimum.

The majority of works will take place between 7am and 6pm, Monday to Friday, and 8am to 4pm on Saturdays. There will be no construction work on Sundays. The occasional night works may be required but these will be notified in advance and will generally be completed by midnight.

Construction has been going on throughout December and will continue through January to take advantage of the lower traffic volumes over the school holiday period.

Summary of works to be undertaken over the 2012/2013 holiday season:

December

• Tree clearing

• Removal of existing traffic islands

• Construction of new bridge retaining walls

• Large piling rig established on site

January

• Drilling of large diameter holes for new bridge support

• Demolition of a portion of the old bridge

• Construction of the new bridge will start

• Road widening and installation of underground services on the corner of Forrest Hill Road and Nile Road

Traffic impacts

Between 3 – 28 January, Wairau Road is reduced to one lane in each direction to allow for the use of the piling rig on site. The rig is drilling holes for the new Wairau Creek bridge supports. The bridge will be demolished and rebuilt in sections to avoid the need for a complete road closure.

Additional traffic lanes will be reinstated on 29 January to coincide with the start of the school term.

Expect some delay to your journey time during the construction period and use alternative routes if at all possible. Listen to Timesaver Traffic on your radio to find out about any major delays.

To help reduce congestion during the construction period, use alternative routes or consider carpooling, walking, cycling or taking public transport, if it is an option for you.

For safety reasons, please respect the traffic management measures put in place – particularly the 30km/h speed limit imposed along the route during the construction period.

Pedestrian impacts

Access on the southern side of Wairau Road across the existing narrow footbridge has been closed until  28 January. When schools re-open for Term 1, pedestrians will have a temporary path along the southern side of the new bridge.

During the first school term, the existing signalised crossing across Wairau Road (near its intersection with Forrest Hill Road) will be removed for safety reasons. Please use the nearby pedestrian crossings at the Porana Road intersection or outside Westlake Girls High School.

The signalised crossing at the bottom of Forrest Hill Road will still be available. From 29 January, the footpath on the northern side of Wairau Road (in front of properties 21, 27, 31, 33, 35 and 45) will be temporarily closed to pedestrians. If you need to cross Wairau Road north of the intersection, please do so at the Porana Road intersection.

Bus stop relocations

• The bus stop outside 21 Wairau Road has been temporarily relocated next to the motorway overpass (outside 41 Wairau Road).

• The bus stop opposite 27 Wairau Road has been temporarily relocated to the existing bus stop outside Westlake Girls High School (opposite Atlas Concrete). From 29 January (when school comes back) this bus stop will be back in its original position opposite 27 Wairau Road.

• The bus stop outside Kings Plant Barn on Forrest Hill Road may be temporarily closed at some point to allow construction works to take place. This will be notified in advance closer to the time but it is likely to happen around May 2013. When this bus stop is closed, bus passengers will have to use the bus stop outside 23 Forrest Hill Road.