Fast growth accelerates plan to extend busway

Consultants will spend this year investigating options for extending Auckland's successful Northern Busway to Silverdale and Orewa. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Consultants will spend this year investigating options for extending Auckland's successful Northern Busway to Silverdale and Orewa, the Transport Agency says.

Although the regional land transport strategy does not envisage construction starting before 2021, Transport Agency regional director Stephen Town said it was important to act now to protect land for the best route for the 21km extension.

That was because an extension of the dedicated 6.2km buses-only link between Northcote and Constellation Drive would have to be built through an area of Auckland that was developing rapidly.

"Public transport is critical to contributing to economic growth in the region by reducing peak-time congestion and we're planning now to ensure the busway continues to meet Aucklanders' needs in the future," Mr Town said.

The Auckland Council and its transport subsidiary would be consulted as the $1.5 million year-long investigation by the engineering consultancy Beca took place.

He said the busway extension would be built in stages, starting between the Constellation and Albany bus stations.

The regional strategy, formulated last year by the former regional transport committee, envisages extending the busway to Redvale between 2021 and 2030 and to Orewa by 2040.

Patronage on the existing busway has boomed since it opened three years ago after costing $300 million to build.

Annual growth of 19.5 per cent pushed patronage for the 12 months to last June to 1.8 million passenger trips.

Auckland Council member Penny Webster, who was mayor of the former Rodney District, said last night she thought the only route option for the busway was beside the Northern Motorway.

She was very disappointed the Transport Agency had hired consultants to spend a year investigating alternatives when what was needed was to run more buses up the existing motorway to Orewa as soon as possible.

Mrs Webster said few express services used the motorway.

She recalled catching a bus from central Auckland which wended its way around Takapuna and Massey University's Albany campus before using State Highway 17 rather than the motorway to reach Silverdale and Orewa.

"By the time we got to Orewa I was feeling ill."