Source: Auckland Council
The Downtown Programme has rounded the halfway mark and is on the downwind leg, closing in on America’s Cup 2021.
This positive news comes as an intensive period of work over the summer holiday period is coming to an end, with a number of key milestones on target to be met in the first quarter of 2020:
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The first of three sections of the Quay Street Seismic Strengthening programme is now complete with 104 palisade wall piles in place between Queens Wharf and Marsden Wharf.
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Lower Albert Street’s eastern footpath will open at the end of March, coinciding with the opening of the Commercial Bay development.
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On the southern side of Quay Street, the new footpath between Lower Hobson Street and Lower Queen Street is also due for completion and opening in late March
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In the Ferry Basin, the first pontoon has arrived and will be installed and commissioned during February. This means berth 6 will be up and running for services from late February
The programme, which is transforming Quay Street into a vibrant waterfront destination, includes the Quay Street Seismic Strengthening, Quay Street Enhancement, Lower Albert Street Bus Interchange, Downtown Public Space and the Ferry Basin Redevelopment projects. Each project is on target for completion of major works by December 2020.
Downtown Programme Director, Eric van Essen is pleased with the progress.
“It’s great, we have a lot of work to do and the team’s top-notch planning and coordination has put us in a strong position.
“We are on target overall and in some areas the programme is edging ahead of schedule. Each new milestone reveals a small glimpse of how Auckland’s transformed waterfront will look by 2021.”
To achieve this, a number of traffic restrictions were introduced in December 2019. These were staged so the most disruptive works would take place when the least traffic was on the road. The restrictions, including closure of the Lower Hobson Street flyer over and slip lane, are due to be removed by 10 February, 2020, and traffic flow is expected to return to November 2019 levels.
van Essen has his eyes firmly fixed on continuing to work with the Quay Street community while keeping up the momentum.
“We are aware of the disruption these works can cause and want to minimise this as much as possible. Planning ahead, coordinating with other projects and keeping people well informed are key to doing it once and doing it right.
“We would like to thank people for their patience while we continue to develop an important part of Auckland’s Future.”
To find out more about the current traffic layout and detours in Quay Street go to at.govt.nz
To find out more about Auckland’s Future in Progress go to progressakl.co.nz
