KEY POINTS:
I am wondering about the changes at the Esmonde/Lake Rd intersection in Takapuna. With the new lane markings, there are now both left and right turning arrows in the left lane, and a right turn arrow in the right lane. At this point in Esmonde Rd there seems room enough for a dedicated left-turn lane into Lake Rd. Why isn't there?
Marilyn Squire, Takapuna.
Good news. This intersection is still a work in progress. The joint left-right turning lane is a temporary measure while other construction work is completed. When it's all done, there will indeed be a left-turn lane from Esmonde into Lake, as well as two right-turn lanes, a right-turn cycle lane, and two right-turn lanes from Lake into Esmonde.
Now that the Esmonde/Lake Rd intersection is well on the way to completion, are there any plans afoot for upgrading Lake Rd between Esmonde and Hauraki Corner? The road surface in both directions would have to be the worst on the Shore.
Peter Smith, Devonport.
It's nice to have a column with a theme, isn't it? The next phase of the Lake Rd upgrade, between Napier Ave and Jutland Rd, will begin in the 2008-09 financial year and take about two years to complete. It involves placing power lines underground and relocating services such as gas and water, followed by road widening. The road will then be resurfaced, with cycle lanes and a central median with right-turn bays added. Work will be done in stages to minimise disruption to traffic.
I've noticed there is a lot of construction work underneath the southern end of Mangere Bridge. Can you please tell me what is being built and when it will be finished?
Mark Lee, Auckland.
I can. It is the beginning of the $265 million duplication of the Manukau Harbour crossing between Onehunga and Mangere, starting at the Mangere end. Transit's northern regional manager, Peter Spies, confidently expects the work to be completed by mid-2011, in time to carry tens of thousands of Rugby World Cup spectators between the airport and Auckland City. Also in time to watch the All Blacks lose again, one assumes.
For reasons I won't go into here, I have recently taken to catching buses and trains for my travels around Auckland. Generally the service is excellent, and I now arrive at work less stressed than when I drive. However, when catching the bus south from Beach Rd, there are two potholes that threaten to destroy the bus and injure the passengers. One is a manhole cover on the corner of Beach Rd where it turns towards Parnell Rise, which is some distance below the road surface. The second is a depression in the road opposite my office in Broadway, across from the ASB Bank. Could something please be done about them?
Grant Aislabie, Newmarket.
The council thanks you for bringing these craters to their attention. As you may have noticed, both sites have had temporary improvements made, and plans are under way for more permanent solutions in the next month. Now, if only they would do something about the road surface in Symonds St ...
