Get moving: Rebuilding work aims to give Weymouth Rd another 15 years

Q: What is happening with Weymouth Rd in Manurewa? This is the third time in a year it has been dug up and the traffic on the detour roads is the worst I have ever seen. Deborah Edwards, Manurewa.

A: Weymouth Rd is being rebuilt so that hopefully it will last another 15 years. As motorists may have noticed, the surface has not been good, so the new roadway should be a real improvement. And while councils try to co-ordinate roading with other service works such as upgrading water mains, this is not always possible.

Q: We have a beautiful new park-and-ride facility in Panmure but the building of the new station to go with it has ground to a halt. Any idea when it is due to be completed? Jack Ormrod, Panmure.

A: The work is under way again and should be finished in July. The work had been held up by consent issues, so in the meantime the construction crew moved to Manurewa to finish the station upgrade there.

Q: I would love to know why Grafton Rd narrows to one lane outside the hospital exit before opening up to two lanes again. I regularly get stuck in traffic trying to get through this hourglass. One lane going down the hill seems fine, but it seems to need two going up. Todd Cain, Auckland.

A: There are several reasons for the one-lane section by the hospital. Because of the demand for parking in the area, for shops and offices as well as the hospital, on-street parking or kerbside parking is a priority. The council feels that some of the holdups by the hospital are due to delays at the intersections at each end of this section of Grafton Rd. The two-lane flare at the traffic lights is there to try to increase the efficiency of the lights and allow more vehicles through. Finally, the flush median in the centre of the road has to stay to allow vehicles to turn in and out of premises on the street, including ambulances and the like.

Q: Can you turn right against a red arrow if there is no traffic coming? Rhonda Upson, Penrose.

A: No. The Road Code 2005 states on page 50: "A red arrow means if you are travelling in the direction of the arrow you must stop."