$500m extension mooted for yet-to-open Northern Busway

Transit NZ is considering a $500 million extension of Auckland's pioneering Northern Busway, even though the original $290 million project has yet to open.

It predicts congestion along the Northern Motorway will worsen in 15 years to the point that bus "priority" measures will be necessary all the way to Orewa, if public transport is to run efficiently.

A Transit consultants' report recommends several such measures along the 23km route to Orewa from Constellation Drive, at the northern end of the initial 7.3km dual carriageway, which is still being built for buses and other high-occupancy vehicles.

The report proposes seven new bus stations, in addition to two which have already opened at Albany and Constellation Drive, and three others being developed between Constellation Drive and Esmonde Rd in Takapuna.

It suggests that a new park-and-ride station be built next to the Silverdale motorway interchange, but most others would just have drop-off or "kiss-and-ride" zones.

A 4.1km dedicated "off-line" busway is suggested along the western side of the motorway between Constellation Drive and the Albany station. In the initial project, due to open early next year, they will be linked merely by a bus shoulder lane.

Buses would join the motorway between Albany and Silverdale in the new proposal, but would be separated from general traffic in a special lane in each direction.

North of Silverdale, buses would retain their own space, but along simpler kerbside lanes following Hibiscus Coast Highway over a duplicate bridge at the coastal entrance to Orewa.

The consultants recommend that building bus priority infrastructure should take precedence over widening the motorway to three general traffic lanes in each direction between Constellation Drive and Silverdale.

The proposal won support yesterday from Auckland Regional Council's transport committee for further investigation, although Transit regional transportation manager Tommy Parker emphasised it had yet to be signed off by his agency's board.

He said it would allow for 40 buses an hour to travel in each direction between Silverdale and Albany by 2041 and for 90 buses between there and Constellation Drive.

The cost of the full suite of options would be about $500 million, reducing to $250 million if just "super-shoulder" lanes were to be built for buses, rather than a separate busway between Constellation Drive and Albany.

Auckland Regional Transport Authority officials have been overwhelmed by the popularity of the Northern Express buses between Albany and Britomart, many of which run with full loads at 10- or 15-minute frequencies along the motorway.

The service, costing $10 return and including free parking for those arriving at the North Shore stations before all the spaces are taken, logged a record 54,109 passenger trips in August - boding well for the success of the busway when it opens in about 18 months.