Get moving: Bitumen repairs wait on weather

Q: When will they fix the top layer of bitumen on the Greenlane roundabout? Murray Hunter, Donna France, Val Farmer, William Black, Dr John Reynolds, and others.

A: As is often the case, there is good news and bad. The good news is that that 40 per cent of the surface has already been ripped up and replaced, and the rest will be done in the next few weeks. The bad news is that the contractors have to wait for the right weather conditions. In Auckland?

Q: Every evening as my bus grinds up Onewa Rd I wonder why there hasn't been a clearway established on the south side of the road, say from 4.30pm to 6.30pm on weekdays. The pavement on that side looks wide enough to allow stopping bays to be inset for buses or motorists stopping off at the local shops. David Steemson, Beach Haven.

A: No good news here for bus passengers. At this stage, North Shore City Council has no plans for a clearway or buslane up Onewa Rd. They do, however, plan to widen the bridge over the Onepoto Stream, and may in time be able to widen Onewa Rd at the bottom to make things easier for traffic coming off the motorway. The timing for this is dictated by Transit NZ's programme for reconstructing the Onewa interchange, which will happen after the Esmonde Rd interchange is completed.

Q: Why has Weymouth Rd in Manurewa been left in such a messy state? A while ago the road was dug up and pipes of some sort laid. The road has now been resealed but only the bit that was dug up, and it looks terrible. Diane Beguely, Wattle Cove.

A: That bit of seal was put there to stop water getting in where the pipes are and damaging the road structure underneath. When the backfill in the pipe trench has settled the whole road will be rebuilt and improved, and this should happen towards the end of the year.

Q: The set of traffic lights at the corner of Fanshawe and Customs Sts seems to have phasing that almost always ensures a stop at each set of lights from Queen St onwards. Can this be fixed? Michael Lorimer, Remuera.

A: The lights on this corner are operating on fixed time intervals because the detector loops in the roadway have been damaged. When they are repaired all the lights should coordinate again.