Auckland Council has announced the start of construction on a project on Great South Road in Takaanini to help keep people moving and make journeys safer and more reliable.
The project, which will see practical changes along one of the busiest stretches of Great South Road to help ease congestion and prepare for future growth, will be delivered in stages and has received strong support from the local community and Papakura Local Board.
Construction is now underway on Stage 1 and, depending on weather, is expected to be completed by 25 October.
This stage of the project is focused on giving traffic more room to move along the corridor, by:
- Reconfiguring road space to create two continuous traffic lanes in each direction for almost the entire corridor – between Manuroa Road and Glenora Road southbound, and between Graham Road and Manuroa Road northbound;
- Removing on-road cycle lane markings and introducing ‘no stopping at all times’ broken yellow lines where parking currently disrupts traffic flow. Stage 2 will build new off-road walking and cycling paths to replace the on-road cycle lanes;
- Removing two low‑use bus stops near Beach Road to help improve bus timetables and efficiency.
Stage 2 will relocate the two bus stops near Taka Street intersection further south down Great South Road, putting them closer to shops, restaurants and other key destinations.
Papakura Local Board Chairperson, Kelvin Hieatt welcomed the road optimisation plans.
“Great South Road is an important route for commercial vehicles that service our many industrial and retail hubs and surrounding communities. We’ve got to make more space for them as well as families, their vehicles, and our bus services,” he said.
“In short, more lanes mean better flow and less time stuck in traffic.”
The project supports the Takaanini Rail Crossing programme and other nearby optimisation and safety projects. Three vehicle and up to two walking and cycling bridges are being built in Takaanini to replace rail crossings.
Auckland Council’s Head of Road Network Operations & Optimisation, Andrew Allen says the road and rail projects are part of a wider initiative to improve safety, reliability, and connectivity across Takaanini.
“Now that City Rail Link (CRL) is up and running, this project will help make Great South Road better able to handle the traffic impacts of trains running more often through the rail crossings,” he said.
“If we do nothing in the meantime, the roads around the rail crossings will get congested more often, creating more disruption and delays on Great South Road.
“Teams at Auckland Transport and Auckland Council are coordinating engagement and delivery so the community can understand how the projects fit together, and so construction impacts are managed as carefully as possible.”
