The Causeway Alliance is raising and widening 4.8 km of Auckland’s Northwestern motorway and cycleway between Great North Road and the Whau River Bridge, near Te Atatu. The work is being done to prevent flooding and provide additional lanes for when the Waterview Tunnels open in early 2017.
Behind the Scenes
With so much happening on the ground along the Causeway it’s easy to forget about the preparation also taking place under and above road level. To give you an insight, behind the scenes of the project, here are some facts and figures of the 4.8km of work:
- 147 cycleway lights and 189 motorway lights. Each will be fitted with more efficient LED bulbs rather than the existing High Pressure Sodium bulbs.
- 36 domed grills or scruffy domes. These manhole covers are made of galvanised steel and are used to prevent large debris entering the stormwater system while providing access for any maintenance that may be required.
- 18 underground stormwater treatment devices. Rain and water from the motorway and surrounding areas are directed through drainage channels to these large concrete structures. As the water travels it picks up dust, dirt and grime which are then filtered by the treatment device before it enters our waterways.
- 22,000V cable to supply power from the Te Atatu substation to the northern portal of the Waterview Tunnel.
- 11,000V cable to supply the four transformers throughout the project with power.
- 400V cables to provide power for lighting and the 23 intelligent transportation systems control cabinets.
- Over 5km of fibre optic cable running along the length of the project to support broadband and telecommunications connectivity to West Auckland.
- Underground treatment device being installed.
Stay in your lane
As you will have noticed there have been some lane layout changes along the Northwestern motorway between Te Atatu and Rosebank Roads. Thank you for your patience, particularly on Monday 2
March when traffic was heavy as drivers familiarised themselves with the new lane layout. There are several more lane changes which will happen along the Causeway over the next two years which will be similar to the recent layout change. It is important to know that we are not reducing any lanes, just moving them around to create safe working space so the motorway can continue to be raised and widened. The important things to note for a safe journey through are;
- Choose your correct lane well in advance
- Avoid sudden lane changes
- Stay in your lane