Why Waitangi Day talks are far from over, parents shocked over school bus safety concerns and Prince Harry touches down in the UK following the King’s cancer diagnosis in the latest NZ Herald headlines.
Video / AP / NZHerald
A busy road linking the suburbs of Westmere and Point Chevalier will remain closed until the end of April, Auckland Transport (AT) told residents on Wednesday.
AT closed Meola Road on December 15 to coincide with the lowest traffic volumes and assured residents it would be reopened no later than today when school and city-bound traffic is back in full swing.
The continued closure was causing huge issues on side streets, with one resident describing it as a “s**t show”.
“It’s utter chaos along Kiwi Rd and the side streets to get on to Great North Rd. Buses can’t pass, and a lot of swearing motorists trying to pull U-ies. I’m not sure where they can go,” the resident said.
Said one local on Facebook: “This is terrible. I live on Meola Rd and the whole detour took me 40 minutes today. This sucks.”
Another local said: “On the bright side I am loving how quiet our streets are... and we’re no longer the highway to West Auckland.”
The closure is part of a $29.3 million road improvements project, including better drainage and underground power lines, and a two-way, off-road cycleway on the northern side of Meola Rd.
Chaos on Kiwi Rd, Pt Chevalier on Wednesday morning after Auckland Transport extended the closure of Meola Rd for three months.
The works include rebuilding 840 metres of Meola Rd, half of which is being raised by about 400mm over an old rubbish tip.
In a notice to residents today, AT said while significant progress has been made, the road will remain closed to vehicles until the end of April.
“Over the holiday period, the team has been hard at work reconstructing Meola Rd, which has seen new infrastructure including aggregate road base, kerb and channel, subsoil drainage and asphalt, along with stormwater upgrades on behalf of Auckland Council Healthy Waters. Chorus and Vector have also been working to place their overhead lines underground.
“We recognise that some in the community may be disappointed, and trust that the benefits for neighbours of the works are acknowledged. We are grateful for the patience and support that the project team and contractor have received,” the notice said.
Meola Rd is a key corridor for motorists. On top of that, it provides access to the Seddon Fields football facility, the Museum of Technology and Transport’s Aviation Hall and the popular Meola Reef dog park.
Residents have still been able to get to their homes, but a detour is still required to travel from Pt Chevalier to Westmere.
AT said by keeping Meola Rd closed “we can make significant progress with this next stage in building the new footpath and cycle lane, as well as road reconstruction in some residential areas whilst further progress also occurs with underground utilities”.
“Doing so will also help lessen the duration of impact on residents of Meola Road when accessing their properties,” it said.
Before the closure in December, AT head of construction projects Mark Banfield said he expected the road to reopen no later than early February.
The project started in 2016 as part of the Pt Chevalier to city cycle improvements.
The Herald is seeking comment from AT on the reasons for extending the closure.
