302-21-103-PS - Northwestern Bus Improvements – Detailed Design Package 1

Details

Auckland Transport has recently completed the North West Interim Bus Improvements Detailed Business Case (DBC). Which proposes the following interim infrastructure improvements:
a)Bus “shoulder running” lane extensions along the Northwestern motorway, to provide morereliable bus travel between the interchanges at Te Atatu Rd, Lincoln Road and Westgate;
b)On-street bus stops on Te Atatu Road, on the northern and southern legs of the Te Atatu Rdmotorway interchange, to enable passenger transfer to occur;
c)On-street bus stops on Lincoln and Selwood Roads, on the northern and southern legs of theLincoln Road motorway interchange, to enable passenger transfer to occur;
d)A hybrid offline and on-street station at Westgate (Gunton Drive), to create a bus interchange,acknowledging there are still issues to work through with surrounding landowners; and,
e)An offline station at Brigham Creek Road, incorporating park and ride facilities, to improve busconnectivity further towards Kumeu. There is currently a DBC being undertaken for this stationwhich is due to be completed April 2021.

Expected benefits include approximately 160,000 to 333,000 people being able to access the city center within a 45-minute bus journey. There could be a travel time saving of 25 minutes at peak times for a bus trip from Westgate to the city centre.
The Northwestern Bus Improvements Programme is one of the infrastructure projects that received a funding grant from Crown Infrastructure Partners (CIP) as part of a stimulatory package to support the economy during the Covid-19 rebuild by creating new jobs and opportunities in communities around the country. One of the conditions as part of the agreement with CIP is to commence construction at defined dates.