Get moving: Coping with crisis in tunnels

Q: Given the shocking revelation of only one northbound tunnel on the new State Highway 1 Puhoi extension, what contingency plans do the highway managers have for the completed tunnel being closed by accident? Will there be lay-bys for breakdowns? Mary Coupe, Takapuna.

A: There will be two tunnels built through Johnson's Hill, one northbound and one southbound. Each tunnel will be wide enough for two lanes. The second lane will come into use when further works to the north have been completed. There will also be room in the tunnels for a hard shoulder, a footpath, and two connecting passages which will be exit points in an emergency.

Q: The traffic volume on Coxhead Rd in Manurewa has increased immensely following the development of Wattle Downs and Mahia Park. Are there any plans for another exit road from the area? Also, a section of Mahia Rd was dug out and resealed in November, and then exactly the same section dug out and resealed in February. Why was that? Sandra Neilson, Manurewa.

A: The Manukau City Council does not envisage another exit road from the Wattle Downs area, but they will try to help the situation by replacing the roundabout at Mahia/Coxhead Rds with traffic lights, hopefully within the next 18 months. Pedestrian access across Mahia Rd will be improved too. And yes, the section of Mahia Rd between the roundabout and Fields Rd was dug up and resealed twice in two months. The contractor did not use the right materials, so he had to do it again, at no extra cost.