15/12/2011
One of New Zealand's most significant road projects
One of New Zealand's most significant road
projects, the $340m Victoria Park Tunnel (VPT) has
now opened to much fanfare. Identified by the
Government as Road of National significance,
the construction which began in 2009 was
completed last month.
Significantly, the Victoria Park Tunnel
project will increase the vehicle carrying
capacity over the 2.2km of State Highway 1,
between the Wellington Street overbridge and
the Auckland Harbour Bridge. This is one of
the busiest sections of road in New Zealand
for both personal and business trips.
To give readers an idea of the size of the
construction, which Fletcher Construction was
the lead contractor and HireQuip a key supplier, the
Victoria Park Tunnel project includes:
- A 450-metre cut and cover tunnel through
Victoria Park to carry three lanes of
northbound traffic
- Refurbishment of the Victoria Park viaduct to
provide four lanes for southbound traffic
- Motorway widening to five lanes in each
direction through St Marys Bay
- A city bound bus lane through St Marys Bay
- Improved cycling and walking access St Marys
Bay to the CBD
- Preservation of the historic Rob Roy Hotel in new
public square
- Restoration of the historic Campbell Free
Kindergarten in Victoria Park
- Art incorporated on retaining walls and barriers,
landscaping and planting
- Noise walls adjacent to Freemans Bay and
through St Marys Bay
- Victoria Park, including a new skate park,
reinstated on top of the tunnel
With the tunnel opening to two lanes of traffic
this is the first step in the staged completion of the
overall project. The next step is the release of all
additional southbound capacity, including opening the
50-year-old Victoria Park viaduct in a new southbound configuration in early January. The overall project
will be completed three months early in March when
additional northbound capacity is released, including
the third lane in the tunnel and a peak-time auxiliary
lane at the Fanshawe Street on ramp.
Motorist will need to take careful notice of the
new layout on the viaduct, which requires drivers
to be in the correct lane for their destination. The
current southbound lanes - the lanes on the left of
the viaduct's central barrier - will take drivers off State
Highway 1 to the Auckland CBD via Cook Street, east
to the Port, and west to the North Western Motorway.
Only the lanes on the right of the barrier - the former
northbound lanes - will continue south to Newmarket
and beyond.
The motorway's southbound capacity across
Victoria Park will handle over 6,000 vehicles per hour
and save drivers up to 20 minutes on their trips during
peak periods.
Andrew Rose, the Alliance Project Manager on this
project told HireQuip, "Vic Park has been a fantastic
job for us and we could not have done it without
great service from our suppliers and subcontractors.
HireQuip has been a key supplier of equipment to the
project and have been very focussed on our delivering
what we needed, when we needed it. Many thanks to
Brian and his dedicated team". |
