CityBeat - Te Waha Nui Online

New motorway means drivers pay to wait

new-motorway-means-drivers-pay-to-wait

by Rochelle Grace

Summer is nearing, which means packed beaches and traffic jams for holiday-goers.

The new Orewa to Puhoi tolled motorway, to be finished in 2009, is meant to make traffic flow lighter as drivers do not have to pass through Orewa residential zone at 50kmh.

Despite being under its estimated $360 million budget, the motorway has currently run into problems.

Due to safety measures, traffic from the proposed motorway to the existing highway cannot merge to one lane on a downward slope.

This means traffic must merge more than 1km back from the end of the 7.5km motorway extension.

Traffic will begin to merge at Waiwera viaduct, already a busy highway especially during the holiday period.

Rodney Times reports Transit are undertaking a State Highway One to State Highway 16 study.

Proposed plans include adding an extra lane northbound from Titford’s Bridge to ease traffic flow.

Transit needs to fix this problem so that motorists will use the new tolled highway, as users do not want to pay to sit in traffic.

Massey University business student Jordan Gosling says, “It’s a great idea. I’m just not sure if I want to pay to sit in traffic and end up getting to the surf around the same time as if I went through Orewa.”

“I’m usually prepared to sit in traffic going on holiday, especially around the Christmas period, but to pay for it? I don’t think developers really thought this one through,” claims North Shore resident Christine Campbell.

If developers do not find a solution to the current problem, motorists will continue using the Orewa route.

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