Wellington St on-ramp to open

Wellington St on-ramp to openNEED FOR SPEED: The Wellington St on-ramp on the left has been closed to motorists since May 2011.

The Wellington St motorway on-ramp will re-open following pressure from hundreds of inner city residents.

The road has been closed to traffic since May last year when it was rebuilt as part of the Victoria Park Tunnel project.

A three-month study has found it should be re-opened, which the New Zealand Transport Agency said will happened in about six weeks once ramp signals and pavement work are completed.

NZTA’s decision followed a detailed investigation of the potential effects on Auckland’s transport network from re-opening the on-ramp or keeping it closed.

The assessment, NZTA said, indicated there was capacity for vehicles to use Wellington St without affecting the performance of the motorway in central Auckland, except for a period in the afternoon peak.

The decision also followed a strong campaign by the Herne Bay Residents’ Association who said their streets were being overrun by the 8000-odd cars trying to access the motorway daily.

More than 700 submissions were made from the public over the on-ramp and 72 per cent wanted it re-opened.

“This is a strong response reflecting a high level of community interest in the future of the Wellington Street on-ramp,” NZTA’s acting State Highways Manager for Auckland and Northland, Steve Mutton said.

NZTA is to discuss the re-opening of the on-ramp with local residents in the next few weeks.

Ramp signals will again be used to control traffic at the on-ramp.

“Previously between seven and eight thousand vehicles used the on-ramp every day. The critical time is the weekday afternoon peak. The Vic Park tunnel improvements mean traffic is moving more quickly and ramp signalling will help ensure the motorway operates efficiently and safely for all drivers,” Mutton said.

He said the investigation findings warn Auckland’s growth and development will have an impact on the performance of the city’s motorways in the future.

“While there is room now on the motorway network to re-open Wellington Street, capacity is expected to reduce over time as the network has to accommodate more and more vehicles. The NZTA and Auckland Transport will be working together to monitor and manage the performance of the motorways and local roads, including the Wellington Street on-ramp,”

NZTA said feedback from other submitters had included that there was less congestion and delays on the motorway, improved traffic flows on local roads near Wellington St and improved safety around local schools as well as for merging traffic on the motorway.

Negative effects identified included delays to travel times, driver and resident frustration, “rat-running” through local streets, more heavy vehicles using local roads and an increased risk to safety locally due to drivers running red lights, making u-turns and driving too fast.

Credits

Photo/s by: PETER ELEY/Fairfax NZ
Reprinted with permission: Auckland Now – North Shore Times

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