Hobsonville road changes mark first step towards western ring route link

Preparatory work will start today for a new link in Auckland's western ring route - a $233 million motorway past Hobsonville.

Although Transit NZ is still some months away from calling design and construction tenders for the 6km project, lanes on the existing section of State Highway 18 through Hobsonville will be altered until the end of next month while a water pumping station is moved to a new site.

From this morning, westbound traffic along a 100m stretch of the highway between Luckens Rd and Trig Rd will be confined to one lane.

Transit regional manager Peter Spies said last night that construction work would also start this month on a stormwater pond west of a proposed major interchange between the end of the Northwestern Motorway and the new four-lane road, before tenders for the main project are called early next year.

Construction of the new motorway north of the existing Hobsonville Rd section of SH18, would start late next year after a six to nine-month design phase.

Earlier funding uncertainty meant the new motorway faced a three-year delay until it was brought forward again by the Government's announcement in the Budget of an extra $1.3 billion of national highway funding.

The road will join the new duplicate Upper Harbour Bridge, which was completed about three months within its $37 million budget and which will in turn connect to a $100 million-plus motorway link due to open next financial year between Greenhithe and Albany.

Westbound traffic leaving Greenhithe from Tauhinu Rd will from next week face a diversion during the construction of a new ancillary bridge over the partly built motorway.

Motorists will for safety reasons initially have to head east into Upper Harbour Drive, before being able to turn in the opposite direction at a new roundabout at an intersection with William Pitcher Place.