About this project
Aims and Objectives
The Waterview Connection project aims to complete the Western Ring Route and contribute to Auckland’s economic prosperity and its development as a world-class city.
It aims to improve Auckland’s highway network while at the same time consider the community and environmental effects created by large infrastructure projects.
A completed Western Ring Route will provide a number of significant regional benefits including:
- shorter and more predictable travel times
- more reliable access to Auckland International Airport and the potential Whenuapai Airport
- an alternative motorway-quality route to SH1 and the Auckland Harbour Bridge
- better links to major employment and residential centres
- the creation of new jobs
- economic growth, by enabling goods to be moved more quickly and improving business productivity
- reduced congestion and air pollution caused by stop-start motoring
- Opportunities for improved public transport
The Waterview Connection built with a tunnel offers significant advantages over other options considered by Transit:
- The shortest and most direct route
- Disruption during construction will be limited to the portals and interchanges
- Fewer properties will be required than for any other option- about 160 in total
- The tunnel will go under Oakley Creek, thus minimising the environmental effects of the project.
Linking SH16 and SH20 will require ways to manage traffic flows at peak times- this could include ramp signals, variable messages or tolling.
It will cost about $1.89b to build in 2015 but it is not the most expensive option of those investigated by Transit.
Key Project Features
The proposed Waterview Connection is 4.5km long. It would have:
- Twin side by side, two-lane tunnels, a separate tunnel for each direction
- Portals (openings) at Maioro Street and Waterview
- A ventilation shaft for the tunnel near each portal
- Interchanges on SH20 at Maioro Street and with the northwestern motorway (SH16) at Waterview
- Allowance for the future expansion of the rail line at Avondale
Tunnel
The tunnel would be 3.1km long and 20-40 metres below the ground; that’s about five to ten storeys. It would have a high standard of lighting, ventilation and fire safety. Like all major construction projects that disturb the ground it will cause some settlement.
It would be built by a tunnel boring machine that:
- Would be under each property for about 2-3 days
- Would create some noise and vibration as it passes, a bit like a rattling fridge
- Puts up a pre-cast concrete tunnel lining as it goes
Portals
Portals are where the road in the tunnel comes back to the surface and where most of the construction work will be visible. There would be one at Waterview and one at Maioro Street. Some areas of land needed for construction, would be available for parks or housing at the end of the project.
There would be a vent at each portal to take air from the tunnel. The vents would be about 15-20 metres high and would push the air high into the atmosphere. The vented air would meet national air quality standards.
Interchanges
Two interchanges are planned- one at Waterview and one at Maioro Street.
At Waterview, traffic could connect between the tunnel (SH20) and the northwestern motorway (SH16). Current Great North Road and SH16 connections will remain.
At Maioro Street, traffic could enter or leave SH20 to travel south to the airport or north through the tunnel to Waterview.
Supporting public transport, walking and cycling
The Waterview Connection project will take business freight and other through traffic off local roads:
- freeing them up for improved public transport services and time
- reducing 'rat running' on residential streets
The design caters for the future expansion of the Avondale Southdown rail line and its electrification.
There will be no disruption to existing pedestrian and cycle links with the existing northwestern cycleway connection retained.
At the southern end, the Mt Roskill cycleway (under construction) will be extended to connect with Richardson Road
Extending Maioro St to connect to Stoddard Rd will provide a new pedestrian ( and vehicle)connection between New Windsor and Mt Roskill / Wesley areas of Auckland
The project also creates opportunities to provide an Oakley Creek walkway
Quick History
- 2000- Consultation started by identifying issues and possible routes
- 2002- A shortlist of route options was released
- 2003- Two draft options were released
- 2006- The Maioro Street to Waterview alignment was confirmed
- 2006- The community asked for more under-grounding
- 2007- Transit investigated how this could be achieved
- 2008- Transit proposes a tunnel as its preferred construction option
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