Town centre set to benefit from bypass

New Lynn's town centre will gain an extra development boost from a traffic bypass over its $160 million railway trench.

Construction will start early next year on the $40 million bypass, which will involve Clark St being extended westward from its intersection with Rankin Ave by 300m as a dual carriageway, and bridging the railway trench before joining Great North Rd.

That should remove serious traffic congestion through Totara St West in the town centre, which Waitakere City Council expects will become much more "pedestrian friendly" once the bypass is completed by May 2012.

In approving the project, the Transport Agency has agreed to provide a $16 million subsidy, to be added to contributions from developers and the city council.

The dual carriageway bypass will complete a traffic transformation of New Lynn which began with the removal of a congested roundabout next to a rail-level crossing.

That has been supplanted by an 800m trench from Portage Rd to the western end of the town centre, although traffic lights have been installed on what remains a busy four-way intersection.

Once the bypass is completed, drivers travelling between the New Windsor end of the Southwestern Motorway and West Auckland will be able to avoid the New Lynn centre.

The city council said yesterday that funding for the project would allow for the redevelopment of Totara Ave West and the adjoining Todd Triangle as "a more pedestrian-friendly business area and focal point for the town centre".

Landscaping would be a priority for the new roadway and low-level bridge, which would provide an added benefit of pedestrian access between Totara Ave West and the largely residential Ambrico Place on the other side of the rail trench.

Waitakere Mayor Bob Harvey said the roading work, which also includes other new bridges across the rail trench in Memorial Drive and Hetana St, was part of a wider vision of transforming New Lynn into a vibrant regional centre.

"This roading and regenerative work is an important next step in New Lynn's transformation from an under-performing suburban district to a dynamic urban environment."