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A busy Auckland road linking the suburbs of Westmere and Point Chevalier is set to partially reopen at the end of the month after more than four months of construction.
Auckland Transport (AT) closed Meola Rd on December 15 and assured residents it would be reopened no later than the beginning of February, when school and city-bound traffic was back in full swing.
The letter stated the road would partially reopen to a single lane of traffic from Sunday, April 28, with “multiple stop-go closures” operating Monday to Saturday between 7am and 7pm.
“Outside these times, two-way traffic operates. On-road parking will not be available.”
Meola Rd was closed by Auckland Transport on December 15 and was expected to reopen at the beginning of February. Photo / Alex Burton
AT’s letter also announced a continued closure of Meola Rd between Walford Rd and Huia Rd for 12 weeks from April 28.
“We did consider keeping this section of Meola Rd open. It would have been a single lane with stop-go closures like the rest of Meola Rd,” the letter read.
The letter said residents would benefit from the closure, being able to access their properties “a lot more of the time than otherwise”.
The closure would mean the 200m stretch of Meola Rd would reopen in August.
By closing the section of the road, AT could keep local traffic circulating between Pt Chevalier Rd detours and Meola Rd, further reducing congestion on the local road network, the letter stated.
AT added the closure would make for “more consistent” and “less disrupted” travel times for road users through the area, not just Meola Rd.
“We will follow up with residents to identify specific special needs, such as residents needing vehicle access for medical, disability or business reasons. Access to driveways will be maintained as best as possible.”
Meola Rd has been narrowed for motorists, and a two-way cycleway is being built.
AT’s head of infrastructure project delivery Mark Banfield said work on Meola Rd so far has been “significant”.
“The extended three-month period enabled us to make strides in our construction that would have been impossible otherwise. It’s enabled us to bring about crucial improvements for the community.
“We’ve essentially rebuilt the road right from the sub-grade foundations up to stabilise and raise it above the flood plain.”
The closure is part of a $29.3 million road improvements project, including better drainage and underground power lines, and a two-way, off-road cycleway on the northern side of Meola Rd.
“We’ve rebuilt approximately 1.3km of Meola Rd, which is 500m more than the original closure would’ve allowed us to do.”
AT says the extended closure of the road has reduced overall construction time by up to two months and saved it $400,000. Photo / Alex Burton
He confirmed that “AT teams” had been going around the community on-foot and door-knocking to hand affected residents on Meola Rd the letter.
“It’s a major project and goes for a long time. We get that there are people unhappy about the disruption and we try to do all things we can... We’re not doing this for fun, we’re doing it for the great benefits for the community.”
Banfield said residents on Meola Rd had “bore the brunt” of the disruptions and had been supportive of the road closure.
But the continued shutdown was causing issues on side streets, with one resident describing it as a “s*** show”.
“It’s utter chaos along Kiwi Rd and the side streets to get onto Great North Rd. Buses can’t pass, and a lot of swearing motorists trying to pull u-ies. I’m not sure where they can go,” the resident said.
One local took to Facebook saying: “This is terrible. I live on Meola Rd and the whole detour took me 40 minutes today. This sucks.”
Another local said: “On the bright side I am loving how quiet our streets are... and we’re no longer the highway to West Auckland.”
Roadworks on Meola Rd in the Auckland suburb of Pt Chevalier are set to continue for some time yet. Photo / Nicola Lambe
The works include rebuilding 840 metres of Meola Rd, half of which is being raised by about 400mm over an old rubbish tip.
Meola Rd is a key corridor for motorists. On top of that, it provides access to the Seddon Fields football facility, the Museum of Technology and Transport’s (Motat) Aviation Hall and the Meola Reef dog park.
Residents have still been able to get to their homes, but a detour is required to travel from Pt Chevalier to Westmere.
