Work on widening SH1 at between Manukau and Papakura has dragged on since 2015.
Work on widening SH1 at between Manukau and Papakura has dragged on since 2015.
Will they ever finish that section of motorway? When will those extra lanes be open? Why is construction taking so long? Transport reporter Bernard Orsman looks at the progress of some of our biggest motorway projects. Today: Auckland's motorway network.
Long-running roadworks to widen State Highway 1 between Manukau andPapakura have made life a misery for motorists and upset residents who have suffered shaking and damage to homes.
Delays along the busy stretch of motorway have become the norm since work started in October 2015 with changes to the project pushing out the completion date to the end of 2019.
To make matters worse, more than 20 homeowners are battling the NZ Transport Agency, saying vibrations from the roadworks have sent cracks snaking through their walls and ceilings.
One Takanini homeowner, Gayleen Smith, has an estimated $500,000 damage to her home with an engineering report commissioned by NZTA finding on "balance of probabilities" the house has been affected by the roadworks.
Gayleen Smith is seeking compensation because her house suffered damage during roadworks on the Southern Motorway.
NZTA - which is in charge of the $268 million project to add new lanes to the motorway - denies homes are being damaged.
NZTA senior project manager Chris Hunt told the Herald the "Southern Corridor improvements project" is extremely complex and taking place within a highly constrained and narrow motorway.
It includes additional lanes in both directions, an upgraded Takanini interchange that has been changed from a diamond shape to a loop configuration and a 4.5km shared pedestrian and cycle path.
The initial plan was to widen the bridges over the Pahurehure Inlet but further investigations showed the bridges had to be replaced.
Last year, NZTA announced it would take a further 12 months to complete the project and removed signs saying "New lanes completed by the end of 2018."
Bombay resident Catherine Fuller, whose husband is stuck in traffic for 1.5 hours twice a day because of the roadworks, said: "The fact they think they can just slip another year of this under the carpet is infuriating and insulting."
AA spokesman Barney Irvine says the delays around Takanini are a kick in the guts to motorists.
AA principal adviser of infrastructure Barney Irvine said from a congestion perspective, the works are one of the worst choke points on the Auckland network, and causes massive pain for tens of thousands of commuters ever day.
"The pain is getting worse. Last year, congestion added 10 minutes more to the morning commute between Drury and Manukau from the previous year. The travel time increased to 30 minutes. Off-peak the trip takes just nine minutes.
"The delays to the works around Takanini can only be described as a kick in the guts to motorists. Completion of this work cannot come soon enough," Irvine said.
He said the new section of motorway will be humming once work is finished.
Touch wood, another major project at the Northern Motorway to build the last link of Auckland's western ring route will not go the same way.
The new road will create an uninterrupted motorway-to-motorway connection along the Western Ring Route - providing a new route between Albany, West Auckland, Auckland Airport and Manukau to the south.
Upper Harbour Highway will be upgraded to a motorway, and the Northern Busway will be extended from Constellation Drive to the Albany park-and-ride station. It will be a single lane in each direction on the east side of SH1 and include a new bridge over SH1 at its northern end to connect to the Albany Bus Station.
Changes within the Constellation Bus Station include a new platform for northbound buses, extending an existing platform, a new station building and a new pedestrian overpass.
The SH1 motorway and bridge crossing at the Greville Rd interchange northbound and southbound will also be widened and the existing bridge over Rosedale Rd widened in both directions. The McClymonts Rd overbridge will be replaced by a new bridge south of the existing alignment.
The $10m Tirohanga Whānui Bridge over the Northern Motorway provides a pedestrian and cycling link between East Coast Bays and Albany on Auckland's North Shore.
The SH1 motorway crossing Constellation Drive Highway will be widened with an extra northbound lane and the bridge over Constellation Drive gains a lane each way.
In late February, a new shared bridge for cyclists and pedestrians at Albany over the Northern Motorway opened - complete with a secret feature.
The Tirohanga Whānui Bridge - which means "Panoramic View" - has a main water pipe installed directly underneath it to help cater for the growing needs of people in the area. The pipe would normally have run under the road.
Construction on the $700m northern motorway-to-motorway project started in April last year and is due to finish in mid-2022.
NZTA said that at the moment SH1 is the only main route between Auckland and Northland and faces significant congestion, particularly at peak times.
Pressure on the motorway system around Albany and North Harbour has grown substantially in recent years and is set to continue over the next 30 years - hence the alternative route for west and southbound traffic, the agency said.
Roadworks continue on the Northwestern motorway.
The other motorway project taking shape in Auckland is the widening of SH16 from Lincoln Rd to Westgate and will tie into the recently completed Lincoln Rd interchange.
It will create three traffic lanes in each direction and a dedicated bus shoulder lane in each direction.
Bridges over the motorway will be replaced at Royal Rd, Huruhuru Rd and Huruhuru creek (westbound only).
The popular northwestern cycleway will be extended alongside the motorway.
The project, which is part of the Western Ring Route, began in mid-2016 and is due for completion later this year at a cost of $110m.
Irvine said not only will motorists get extra lane space when work is finished, but they will see an end to all the clutter and disruption that occurs with roadworks.
Auckland motorway projects: Progress report
• Northern corridor improvements: A new motorway connection between SH1 and SH18 started in April last year is due for completion in 2022. Cost $700m.
• Southern corridor improvements: Widening SH1 between Manukau and Papakura has suffered delays since work started in 2015 and now due for completion at the end of this year. Cost $268m.
• Widening SH16 between Lincoln Rd and Westgate started in 2016 and due for completion later this year. Cost $110m.
