Auckland drivers: expect major delays on the motorways this Anniversary Weekend. A section of the Sthrn.Motorway will be closed to finish work before the new northbound Newmarket Viaduct opens. NZTA says the northbound lanes will be closed between Market Rd off-ramp and Gillies Ave on-ramp from 5pm tomorrow, this Saturday 28th., for final preparations to allow drivers to start using the northbound viaduct from Anniversary Monday morning January 30th.
NZTA's acting state highways manager for Auckland/Northland, Steve Mutton: "We're talking about re-directing up to 65,000 vehicles on Sunday alone. Even with detours, the impact will be felt well beyond the Sthrn.Motorway. If people absolutely must travel, we're urging they allow a lot more time. We accept this may cause frustration - particularly on a long weekend. Our best advice is to stay away from the motorway during Anniversary Weekend."
He says construction of the new viaduct is ahead of schedule. The new southern viaduct at Newmarket opened Sept.2010. It's one of NZ's busiest roads, with on average more than 160,000 vehicles a day. This closure will allow the motorway's northbound lanes to be moved to the new viaduct. At the same time, the blue lifting gantry used for the viaduct's construction will moved onto the existing northbound viaduct to help with its demolition.
Southbound motorway traffic is not affected by this closure. And if weather is bad (although the forecast's looking good), the work could be delayed until Waitangi Weekend. Detours will be in place this weekend and detour routes to key destinations are available online. NZTA is asking drivers to avoid the motorway during the work.
No comments:
Post a Comment