122-796: The Victoria Park Tunnel is a motorway tunnel completed in 2012 on New Zealand State Highway 1 in Auckland , New Zealand, taking northbound traffic off the Victoria Park Viaduct , which was converted to all southbound traffic. It lies mostly under Victoria Park . The new tunnel has reduced congestion on the Victoria Park section of State Highway 1, at the Victoria Park Viaduct, an area where delays are becoming more common even between morning and afternoon rush hours . By providing more capacity, it helps ensure that
244-459: A motorway ) to the northern outskirts of Dunedin . From here it descends a steep, twisting stretch of Pine Hill Road through Pine Hill , before passing the University of Otago and heading through the city centre. For much of its route through Central Dunedin the highway is split into two separate northbound and southbound roads, part of the city's one-way street system. These roads traverse
366-596: A big oversight. In 2016, an add-on structure providing a walk-and-cycleway called SkyPath received Council funding approval and planning consent, but was not built. In 2021, a stand-alone walking and cycling bridge called the Northern Pathway was announced by the New Zealand Government, but also was not built. About 170,000 vehicles cross the bridge each day (as of 2019), including over 1,000 buses, which carry 38% of all people crossing during
488-489: A bypass, sometimes the former route is designated a spur until such time as the road can be transferred to the local council. All these routes are unsigned and appear as local arterial roads on maps. State Highway 1 has been earmarked for several motorway projects most of which have surfaced from the National government's Roads of National Significance package announced in 2009. The section of Marsden Point to Whangārei
610-529: A further 30 years before being replaced with a two-way tunnel structure. Auckland City and Auckland Regional Council however continued to call for an earlier burial of the whole motorway. They have also called for the 'Rob Roy / Birdcage' pub (in the meantime bought by Transit) to be moved over the tunnel entry instead of beside it, to achieve a more attractive gateway and public space for the Freemans Bay community. The layout of any further traffic changes in
732-559: A growth rate half that of Auckland south of the Waitematā Harbour . Opening up the area via a new route unlocked the potential for further expansion of Auckland. The recommendations of the design team and the report of the 1946 Royal Commission were for five or six traffic lanes, with one or two of them to be reversed in direction depending on the flow of traffic, and with a footpath for pedestrians on each side. The latter features were dropped for cost reasons before construction started,
854-430: A harbour crossing in the general vicinity of the bridge. It would have used floating pontoons , but the plan failed due to the £16,000 cost estimate ($ 1.9 million, adjusted for inflation as of March 2017). Additional structures for a bridge crossing the harbour were proposed in 1927 and 1929. In the 1950s, when the bridge was being built, North Shore was a mostly rural area of barely 50,000 people, with few jobs and
976-520: A lane on the motor bridge to walking and cycling, including a design solution to mitigate safety concerns. The report revealed that motor traffic volumes have declined, leaving space on the bridge to reallocate one lane for walking, cycling, and wheeling "without significantly affecting motor traffic" Bike Auckland continues to advocate to Waka Kotahi to Liberate the Lane, stating that Waka Kotahi 's Waitematā connections project will take too long to deliver
1098-626: A major freight route. With the detour bridges reaching the end of their lifespan, NZTA replaced the fords with culverts . Construction of motorways and expressways has diverted the route of State Highway 1 in many places. The opening of the Auckland Harbour Bridge and the Auckland Northern Motorway between Northcote Road and Fanshawe Street in May 1959 saw State Highway 1 diverted from its former route around
1220-454: A report by SmartSense Limited, addressing key concerns about reallocating a lane on the motor bridge to walking and cycling, and proposing a design solution to mitigate safety concerns. On 6 August 2023, Waka Kotahi announced their Waitematā Harbour Crossings plan which includes a tunnel for light rail and a tunnel for motor traffic under the Harbour, and walking and cycling on two lanes of
1342-769: A roundabout at the entrance to the airport. The South Island section of SH 1 starts in Picton , adjacent to the railway station. Leaving Picton, SH 1 rises steeply to cross the Elevation saddle into the valley of the Tuamarina River . It descends alongside this river and across the Wairau Plain before reaching Blenheim . SH 1 passes through Weld Pass and Dashwood Pass to enter the Awatere Valley , then countiuses southward before passing Lake Grassmere . From
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#17327720787801464-539: A walk- and cycleway was a desirable goal, and instructed Auckland Transport to add it to its strategic priorities. The walk- and cycleway is also to be included in the city centre masterplan. Three council-controlled organisations (CCOs) – Auckland Transport, the Waterfront Development Agency and the Tourism, Events and Economic Development Agency – indicated support for the proposal, as has
1586-561: A walking and cycling connection across the Harbour. Their campaign has attracted the support of a diverse array of organisations, all calling for Waka Kotahi to liberate the lane now. Reasons for their support range from giving Aucklanders more affordable and sustainable transport options, to it being a key action for climate action mitigation and emissions reduction. The bridge supports several utility services, including water and gas pipelines and fibre-optic telecommunications cables. Transpower reached agreement with Transit in 2005 for
1708-502: A wide spectrum of responses in the media and in public perception, from being labelled a dangerous stunt representative of an increasingly lawless, anarchic society to being considered a successful signal to authorities to give more weight to the demands and the public backing of the walk and cycleway proponents. Authorities noted that they were investigating whether any of the protesters would face fines or charges. NZTA representatives noted that they were disappointed at what they considered
1830-921: Is an eight-lane motorway bridge over the Waitematā Harbour in Auckland , New Zealand. It joins St Marys Bay on the Auckland city side with Northcote on the North Shore side. It is part of State Highway 1 and the Auckland Northern Motorway . The bridge is operated by the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA). It is the second-longest road bridge in New Zealand, and the longest in the North Island . The original inner four lanes, opened in 1959, are of box truss construction. Two lanes were added to each side in 1968–1969 and are of orthotropic box structure construction extend as cantilevers from
1952-587: Is to be upgraded to four lanes as part of the New Zealand Upgrade Programme . The Puhoi to Wellsford motorway (Ara Tūhono) is one of the projects of the Roads of National Significance . This planned new road is also referred to as the "Holiday Highway" as the current SH 1 becomes heavily congested in holiday periods from holidaymakers travelling to and from Auckland in the summer holiday season and public holiday weekends. Construction of
2074-486: The 2016 Kaikōura earthquake . SH 1 passes through Amberley and Woodend before becoming the Christchurch Northern Motorway and bypassing Kaiapoi to the west. At The Groynes west of Belfast , the motorway narrows to a four-lane divided arterial. SH 1 continues around the north-western urban fringe of Christchurch , passing just east of Christchurch International Airport . At Hornby ,
2196-442: The Auckland Harbour Bridge can be used to its full capacity. Originally called the 'Harbour Bridge to City' project, the official name has now become 'Vic Park Tunnel'. The tunnel, to initially cost approximately NZ$ 440 million (2009 estimate), later corrected down to $ 340 million, is a northbound-traffic carrying structure only, entering the ground in the area of the existing 'Birdcage' heritage pub (which will be relocated to allow
2318-676: The Brynderwyn Hills before approaching the upper reaches of the Kaipara Harbour . The highway crosses into the Auckland Region , and passes through Wellsford and Warkworth , again heading for the east coast. Just north of Warkworth , the road widens to a four-lane motorway known as Ara Tuhono, Puhoi to Warkworth motorway. In the Moir Hill section, the road widens to 6 lanes with the addition of crawler lanes on
2440-725: The First National Government of New Zealand opting for an 'austerity' design of four lanes without footpaths, and including an approach road network only after local outcry over traffic effects. The decision to reduce the bridge in this way has been called "a ringing testament to [...] the peril of short-term thinking and penny-pinching". On 1 December 1950, an act of parliament formed the Auckland Harbour Bridge Authority, chaired by Sir John Allum , then Mayor of Auckland City , who appointed British firm Freeman Fox & Partners to design
2562-651: The Mangamuka Gorge before turning south-east across the Northland Peninsula on to Kawakawa in the Bay of Islands where the roadway is shared by the Bay of Islands Vintage Railway track, and then south to the city of Whangārei , the largest urban area in Northland. SH 1 then skirts the south-western Whangārei Harbour, nearing the coast briefly at Ruakākā , before proceeding down to wind through
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#17327720787802684-625: The National Roads Board specified the gradient and locations where the bridge could launch from the shore on either side of the harbour, while the Auckland Harbour Board required an opening of 43.5 metres above the high tide point. Public Works commissioner Bob Norman, concerned about the narrow bridge design, attempted to negotiate with both the Roads Board and Harbour Board for additional width allowance for
2806-541: The Northern Busway . Up to 9,000 riders were protected by 160 stationary buses used as a 'guard of honour' between the bridge end and the Northern Busway from traffic on the rest of the motorway. When the bridge was built, rail lines and walking paths were dropped for cost reasons, and neither were they included during the clip-on construction (people can walk on the span only via guided tours). After
2928-661: The Taieri Plains . The area between the Taieri and Waipori Rivers is flood-prone, and the highway crosses this on a major embankment known colloquially as the flood-free highway . SH 1 continues through gentle hill country and along the shore of Lake Waihola , then crosses the Tokomairiro Plains into Milton . South of Milton is a major junction with SH 8 at Clarksville Junction. SH 1 continues to cross rolling hill country to reach Balclutha . From Balclutha,
3050-583: The Taieri River was realigned during the 1970s. SH 1A ran from Orewa to Silverdale . When the Northern Gateway Toll Road opened, part of SH 1A was incorporated into SH 1N and the rest had its highway status revoked. SH 1F was the name previously given to the northernmost section of SH 1N – between Cape Reinga and the junction with SH 10 . This section is no longer a spur and is now part of SH 1N. Where SH 1 has moved onto
3172-836: The Wellington Urban Motorway , skirting the shore of the harbour then passing the city centre to the west. The motorway ends at Te Aro , where a one-way system takes traffic to the Basin Reserve . Northbound traffic uses the Wellington Inner City Bypass (opened 2007), while southbound traffic uses Vivian Street . From the Basin Reserve, SH 1 travels through the Mount Victoria Tunnel to Wellington's eastern suburbs and Wellington International Airport . SH 1 ends at
3294-407: The ' Jacob's Ladder ' stairway linking to St Mary's Bay . A number of non-motorway related works will be included in the project, such as restoration work to several heritage buildings in the construction zone, and upgrades to public spaces. In mid-2011, the project team started the construction work to replace a large Skatepark next to Beaumont Street that had had to be demolished during the work on
3416-466: The 18.5 km (11.5 mi) Puhoi to Warkworth section began on 8 December 2016 with the official sod-turning. The motorway runs west of the current SH 1 alignment, starting at the end of the existing Auckland Northern Motorway and terminating onto the existing highway at Kaipara Flats Road, north of Warkworth township. The new motorway opened in June 2023. The NZTA released its preferred alignment for
3538-495: The 700m long tunnel trench, with over 100,000 man hours of work/month invested in the project, believed to be the highest of any [New Zealand] roading project. The project is expected to continue until mid-2012, though it is hoped that the general structure of the tunnel, and all work requiring impact on local streets can be completed by the Rugby World Cup 2011 . The Rob Roy Hotel was shifted into its temporary position at
3660-457: The 920 tons of reinforcing material instead of the approximately half amount of that originally envisaged, clip-on maintenance costs had increased by a further NZ$ 41 million. NZTA noted that the clip-ons would not be able to be strengthened again after the current works were finished. However, after completion of the upgrade, the bridge would have a further life of between 20 and 40 years if truck restrictions were reintroduced in 10–20 years on
3782-719: The Christchurch Southern Arterial Motorway, Curletts Road, Blenheim Road, and Main South Road. The section from the Queen Elizabeth II Drive to Brougham Street is now a local road, while the remainder of the route forms parts of SH 74 and 76. Re-routing also occurred in Whangarei and Timaru, removing SH 1 from their city centres. The original route through Whangārei via Kamo Road, Bank Street, Water Street and Maunu Road
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3904-609: The Heart of the City ( Auckland CBD ) business association. In August 2011, an editorial in The New Zealand Herald gave conditional support to the newest proposal, noting that a toll-based funding model and the partially enclosed weather-protected design of the $ 23 million proposal by Hopper Developments would appear to cover most concerns. In 2014, the proposed walk and cycleway was publicly notified, and consent
4026-790: The Hutt Valley. The construction of the Ngauranga Interchange flyovers in 1984 allowed SH 1 to be diverted onto the motorway, bypassing central Wellington streets. The Christchurch Northern Motorway opened in October 1967 between Tram Road and Belfast, providing a second road crossing of the Waimakariri River . The motorway was extended northward to Pineacres in December 1970, bypassing Kaiapoi . The Western Belfast Bypass spur opened on 31 October 2017, extending
4148-486: The Northern and Southern Motorways, taking State Highway 1 off inner Auckland streets. The Waikato Expressway north of Te Kauwhata has largely been built on the existing line of SH 1N, although at Pōkeno the highway was diverted to bypass the town to the east. South of Te Kauwhata, most of the expressway has been built on a new line bypassing the towns of Ohinewai , Ngāruawāhia , Te Rapa and Cambridge , as well as
4270-565: The SH 1 designation until the new motorway opened. The Johnsonville-Porirua Motorway was constructed in the 1940s and 1950s to replace the Old Porirua Road . The first section of motorway between Johnsonville and Takapu Road opened on 23 December 1950, and is New Zealand's oldest motorway. The Wellington Urban Motorway was constructed between 1969 and 1978, but was originally part of State Highway 2 as it could only be accessed from
4392-609: The SH ;1 is classified as a regional strategic road, and north of Kawakawa where SH 1 is classified as a primary collector road. The sections between Wellsford and Wairakei , between Ōhau and Wellington Airport , and between Woodend and Rolleston are classified as high volume roads. The section from the Central Motorway Junction and the Newmarket Viaduct, 3 km (1.9 mi) to
4514-531: The South Island. SH 1 starts at Cape Reinga , at the northwestern tip of the Aupōuri Peninsula , and since April 2010 has been sealed (mainly with either chipseal or asphalt ) for its entire length. From Waitiki Landing south of Cape Reinga, SH 1 travels down the central-eastern side of the peninsula to Kaitaia , New Zealand's northernmost town, then travels through a new piece of road in
4636-590: The Waitematā Harbour. Northern extensions of the motorway in 1969 (to Tristram Avenue), 1979 (to Sunset Road) and 1984 (to Dairy Flat Highway via Greville Road) diverted State Highway 1 off Wairau Road and Albany Highway. A motorway extension from Greville Road to Silverdale in 1999 bypassed Dairy Flat Highway, which was re-designated State Highway 17. In 2009, the Northern Motorway was extended to Puhoi, bypassing Hibiscus Coast Highway through Orewa which
4758-638: The Warkworth to Wellsford section for consultation in February 2017. The motorway will run from the Puhoi to Warkworth section west of Warkworth northward, passing east of Wellsford and Te Hana to terminate onto the existing highway at Mangawhai Road, just short of the Auckland/Northland boundary. Many ideas have come forth to create a Second Harbour Crossing over Waitematā Harbour to complement
4880-418: The additions were much higher than if the extra lanes had been provided initially. The clip-ons have been plagued by significant issues. In 1987, cracks required major repair works, and in 2006, further cracks and signs of material fatigue were found. The clip-ons were originally to have a life expectancy of 50 years. Auckland City Council's Transport Committee requested Transit New Zealand to investigate
5002-614: The aging Auckland Harbour Bridge. These include ideas for a second bridge, or a second tunnel with capacity for rail. At this stage, any meaningful progress is unlikely until at least 2025. As of October 2017, the NZTA is investigating extending the Waikato Expressway south of Cambridge 16 km (9.9 mi) to the SH 1/SH 29 intersection at Piarere, bypassing the existing highway around the shores of Lake Karapiro . Auckland Harbour Bridge The Auckland Harbour Bridge
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5124-652: The area or run through it. Critics have however raised the question of whether the project should still go ahead when a second harbour crossing might eventually remove the need for the capacity extension that the Vic Park Tunnel is to provide. In early 2010 preparatory work began near the St Mary's Bay onramp. NZTA announced that the Birdcage hotel (sitting over the site of the future tunnel portal) would be shifted 40m away temporarily - eventually returning to almost
5246-634: The area will also be heavily affected by the plans for a possible second harbour crossing , which some plans see emerging at the Western Reclamation north of the tunnel, which is itself being replanned as a new mixed use and public park area. In May 2008, Transit New Zealand decided to revisit parts of the already consented plans to ensure that the Vic Park Tunnel design would not conflict with future harbour-crossing tunnels which were now short-listed to possibly connect Auckland City's Spaghetti Junction to North Shore City and would likely start in
5368-504: The barrier transfer machines, which had lasted four times their original design life of five years, and the barrier were replaced. The new machines are capable of moving the barrier in half the time the old machines did. The concrete barrier blocks and the metal expansion blocks have been reduced in width by 200 mm, giving more width in the lanes either side of the barrier. As part of the Victoria Park Tunnel project,
5490-580: The bridge into Auckland's city centre, and forms its western boundary as SH 1 proceeds to the Central Motorway Junction . At this junction, SH 1 becomes the Auckland Southern Motorway , and, after sweeping around the southern end of central Auckland, proceeds in a south-easterly direction. The motorway continues in a broadly southeast direction across the Auckland isthmus , then through Manukau and Papakura to
5612-455: The bridge over the summer and included speeches by Auckland Central MP Chlöe Swarbrick and former associate minister of transport Julie Anne Genter . The rally was motivated by uncertainty around the future of the SkyPath project. Waka Kotahi had quietly sidelined the project due to technical issues. The Western clip on of the bridge (two motor traffic lanes) had been closed in advance of
5734-534: The bridge, increasing the width of the deep centre span from 2.9 metres to 4.12 metres. By the 1970s, many box girder bridges began to develop structural problems, such as the Freeman Fox and Partners-designed West Gate Bridge in Melbourne which collapsed during construction in 1970. The Auckland Harbour Bridge was inspected by the design firm, which found that the stiffening member had buckled by 61mm, so it
5856-800: The bridge. The bridge took four years to build, with Dorman Long (who had constructed the Sydney Harbour Bridge ) and the Cleveland Bridge & Engineering Company contracted to construct the bridge in October 1954. The first stage of construction involved land reclamation at the Westhaven Marina , which was completed by September 1955. The steel girder structure pieces were fabricated in England and shipped to New Zealand. The steel bridge structure began erection in December 1956. Hundreds of labourers were employed on
5978-529: The bridge. Because of the costs of the proposal and increasing information about the problematic state of the clip-ons , the GetAcross campaign in late 2009 proposed an alternative solution, with a single shared walking and cycling path slung under the eastern clip-on. As confirmed by NZTA, this clip-on has significantly more remaining load capacity (it is used by fewer heavy trucks, being the route of (often empty) trucks returning to Ports of Auckland ) and as
6100-459: The bridge. The Harbour Board required the 43.5 metre clearance so that the entire fleet of ships operating within New Zealand could navigate the harbour, the largest of which was the P&O cruise liner SS Canberra . Norman argued that the Canberra was extremely unlikely to use the only major dock west of the bridge at the Chelsea Sugar Refinery , so the Harbour Board agreed to a smaller opening. This allowed Freeman Fox and Partners to redesign
6222-422: The broken word of the organisers of the protest, and remarked that it would take 30 more years before walking and cycling could likely be provided (see also "Second Harbour Crossing" below). NZTA were criticised as having brought the situation at least partly onto themselves by choosing the easy route of forbidding the protest crossing. Several political protest marches (especially hīkoi ) had been allowed to cross
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#17327720787806344-422: The bypass. In the southern South Island, several particularly twisting sections of SH 1S have been rebuilt to remove sharp bends and to generally improve road conditions. These include stretches at Normanby, near Timaru ; Waianakarua ; two stretches at Flag Swamp and Tumai between Palmerston and Waikouaiti ; and on the Dunedin Northern Motorway near Waitati . An extensive section between Allanton and
6466-433: The central city 2–3 blocks southeast of the heart of the CBD . At the southern end of central Dunedin, the highway becomes the Caversham By-pass, which rises along the Caversham Valley before again becoming a motorway at the saddle of Lookout Point. The four-lane motorway ( Dunedin Southern Motorway ) runs through Dunedin's southern suburbs until the interchange with SH 87 at Mosgiel . SH 1 then heads southwest across
6588-532: The city of Hamilton . Most old sections of SH 1N reverted to local arterial roads, while the former section through Hamilton became the SH 1C spur. Construction of the Peka Peka to Ōtaki extension to the Kāpiti Expressway began in mid 2017 and opened to traffic in December 2022. The project added 13 kilometres (8 mi) of expressway to the northern end of the Kāpiti Expressway at Peka Peka, to terminate north of Ōtaki at Taylors Road. The controversial Transmission Gully Motorway began construction in 2014, and
6710-400: The city of Invercargill . In central Invercargill it meets the southern end of SH 6 and turns due south, skirting the estuary of the New River and Bluff Harbour. It passes through the small town of Bluff before reaching its terminus at Stirling Point , a kilometre south of Bluff. A commemorative signpost at Stirling Point indicates distances to major world centres and to the start of
6832-490: The coast at Moeraki . From here the road again hugs the coast along Katiki Beach , remaining closer to the ocean than at any point since Kaikōura. The highway turns inland at Shag Point, passing through Palmerston and Waikouaiti . South of Waikouaiti the road again becomes steep, rising sharply over the Kilmog hill before dropping down to the coast at Blueskin Bay , then rising again via Dunedin-Waitati Highway (a two- to four-lane carriageway which used to be designated
6954-525: The coast, which it reaches at Timaru . Between Ashburton and Timaru it crosses Rangitata Island in the Rangitata River . South of Timaru, the road again passes through gentle hill country, staying close to the coast but largely out of sight of it. The road veers inland briefly, bypassing Waimate as it reaches the plains around the mouth of the Waitaki River , which it crosses to enter Otago . It passes through Oamaru , from where it turns inland briefly, crossing undulating hill country before again reaching
7076-428: The construction including 180 men sent out from the UK. Progress was slowed with the workers going on strike in 1956 and 1957. The large steel girder sections were partially pre-assembled, then floated into place on construction barges. One of the main spans was almost lost during stormy weather when the barge began to drift, but the tugboat William C Daldy won a 36-hour tug-of-war against the high winds. The bridge
7198-418: The conversion. It was increased in 1980 from 20 to 25 cents (approximately $ 1.21 in 2018). Tolling was later made north-bound only before being discontinued on 31 March 1984, and the booths were removed. The toll system was removed as the cost of collection began to outweigh the profits. When this happened, the Auckland Harbour Bridge Authority enquired if the National Roads Board would take over operations if
7320-526: The costs to be too high. Other stakeholders such as the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) considered the proposal as not having enough merit for the $ 22–53 million cost, though campaigners noted that the costs cited for the project included 45% contingencies. A proposal from the Auckland Regional Council (one of the proponents) to open up part of the clip-on structure for a walking / cycling trial use over several summer weekends, to show whether it would attract enough users, did not go forward. The GetAcross group
7442-452: The early 1990s increase in public transportation patronage in Auckland, the Ministry of Works and Development investigated if the 'clip-ons' could be used for a light rail system, which they found was feasible if the lanes were used exclusively for this purpose. In 2007 discussions about the addition of a cycle and footpath link were mooted. Transit noted that this would cost between NZ$ 20 million and $ 40 million, but public support
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#17327720787807564-399: The eastern shore of the lake for 50 km (31 mi) to Tūrangi , at the southern end of the lake. Via SH32/41 the distance is about 6 km (3.7 mi) shorter than this section of SH1. Turning southwards again, SH 1 leaves Tūrangi and ascends onto the North Island Volcanic Plateau , passing through the fringes of the Tongariro National Park and into the Rangipo Desert , passing
7686-410: The end of August 2010, jacked up on sliding teflon rails and moved in a two-day exercise jokingly referred to as the "slowest pub crawl ever". It will eventually return to be relocated above the tunnel portal. As part of the works, the Wellington Street on-ramp already had to be closed for a period of several weeks at one time, and is to be closed for several months later in 2011, for the construction of
7808-405: The end of the coastal plain at Mackays Crossing . It then becomes the Transmission Gully Motorway and steeply ascends through mountainous terrain to the Wainui Saddle, before descending through its namesake to Pāuatahanui and bypassing Porirua to the east before reaching the northern suburbs of Wellington , New Zealand's capital city. Immediately after entering the city of Wellington in
7930-418: The end of the plain at Levin . From Levin, SH 1 follows the narrowing western coastal plain southwards. The highway crosses into the Wellington Region 15 km (9 mi) south of Levin, and just north of Ōtaki widens into the Kāpiti Expressway , a fully grade-separated four-lane dual carriageway. This expressway bypasses the Kāpiti conurbation of Waikanae , Paraparaumu and Raumati , before reaching
8052-433: The existing Harbour Bridge. Construction is expected to start by 2029. Waka Kotahi's forecast is that 6400 people would walk and cycle across the Auckland Harbour Bridge every day. Bike Auckland continues to advocate for Waka Kotahi to Liberate the Lane, stating that Waka Kotahi 's Waitematā connections project will take too long to deliver a walking and cycling connection across the Harbour. Their campaign has attracted
8174-429: The future of the clip-ons as part of its ten-year plan. Transit noted that the plan already includes some funding for bridge maintenance. In May 2007, Transit proposed a by-law change banning vehicles over 4.5 tonnes from the outside lane on each clip-on to reduce stress on the structure. This was changed in July 2007 to a bylaw banning vehicles of 13 tonnes or more, based on the high level of voluntary compliance during
8296-437: The group perceives to be the authorities' negative and obstructionist attitude towards such access. A crossing either as part of the protest or as part of the official 50-year anniversary celebrations had been forbidden by NZTA because of the costs and traffic difficulties claimed for a managed crossing. However, after several speeches, including by Auckland Regional Council Chairman Mike Lee , several people made their way around
8418-414: The highway at Picton. SH 1 has two spurs, both in the vicinity of Hamilton : SH 1 has varied road conditions. For most of its length it is a two-lane single carriageway road with at-grade intersections and access, sealed with chipseal in rural areas or asphalt in urban and high-traffic areas. The highway has frequent passing lanes on these sections, to allow traffic to pass other vehicles safely. Parts of
8540-416: The highway crosses the Mataura River ; from here the road again turns south to roughly follow the river. The highway passes through Mataura before turning west at Edendale . Many travellers choose to turn onto SH 93 at Clinton, as this route shortens the journey between Clinton and Mataura by about 10 km (6.2 mi) and bypasses Gore . Over its last stretch the road veers southwest before reaching
8662-455: The highway turns south-west, narrows to a two-lane undivided road and passes through Templeton . It then merges onto the Christchurch Southern Motorway where the highway becomes expressway standard until it approaches Rolleston. South of Rolleston, SH 1 becomes virtually straight as it crosses the wide fan of the Canterbury plains, crossing the country's longest road bridge at Rakaia before reaching Ashburton , and then veering back towards
8784-524: The highway turns west, veering briefly north as it heads inland to avoid the rough hills of The Catlins . It passes through the small town of Clinton before reaching the major provincial town of Gore . Because of the names of these two towns, this stretch of the highway was christened "The Presidential Highway" during the time of the Clinton-Gore administration in the United States. At Gore,
8906-672: The installation of cable supports beneath the bridge for a future cross-harbour power cable. In 2012, Transpower installed three 220,000-volt cables on the bridge, linking Hobson Street substation in the Auckland CBD to the Wairau Road substation on the North Shore. AJ Hackett operates a 40 metres (130 ft) bungy jump experience and a guided bridge climb over the arch truss. In popular culture, Bryan Bruce 's television documentary The Bridge (2002) featured footage of
9028-478: The length from 2,033 km (1,263 mi). For the majority of its length it is a two-lane single carriageway , with at-grade intersections and property accesses, in both rural and urban areas. These sections have some passing lanes. Around 315 km (196 mi) of SH 1 is of motorway or expressway standard as of August 2022 : 281 km (175 mi) in the North Island and 34 km (21 mi) in
9150-459: The length of both main islands. It appears on road maps as SH 1 and on road signs as a white number 1 on a red shield, but it has the official designations SH 1N in the North Island , SH 1S in the South Island . SH 1 is 2,006 kilometres (1,246 mi) long, 1,074 km (667 mi) in the North Island and 932 km (579 mi) in the South Island. Since 2010 new roads have reduced
9272-529: The main river at Utiku. It then follows the western bank of the Rangitikei through Ohingaiti and Hunterville to Bulls . At Bulls, SH 1 turns southeast to cross the river, turning southwest again 5 km (3.1 mi) down the road at Sanson . SH 1 crosses the Manawatū Plains , passing the city of Palmerston North about 20 km (12 mi) west of it. It passes through Foxton , before reaching
9394-582: The morning peak. Prior to the opening of the bridge in 1959, the quickest way from Auckland to the North Shore was by passenger or vehicular ferry. By road, the shortest route was via the Northwestern Motorway (then complete only between Great North Road and Lincoln Road), Massey , Riverhead, and Albany, a distance of approximately 50 km (31 mi). As early as 1860, engineer Fred Bell, commissioned by North Shore farmers who wanted to herd animals to market in Auckland, had proposed
9516-598: The motorway southwest to The Groynes, allowing SH 1 traffic to bypass Belfast. The extension of the Dunedin Southern Motorway has also seen changes in the highway, notably to bypass the suburbs of Fairfield and Sunnyvale. In Hamilton, SH 1N originally ran through the city centre via Te Rapa Road, Ulster Street (first agreed as an alternative to the northern end of Victoria St in 1930), Victoria Street, Bridge Street and Cobham Drive; this original route later became Hamilton Urban Route 4. In 1992, SH 1N
9638-572: The moveable barrier has been extended southwards to the Fanshawe Street onramp. As part of large events such as the Auckland Marathon , normal motorway restrictions on access are sometimes relaxed. December 2011 was the first time that cyclists were officially allowed on the bridge, for a race / community cycling event organised by Telstra Clear , Auckland Transport , NZTA and Cycle Action Auckland , also allowing cyclists on
9760-471: The names of three of them are recorded on a memorial plaque underneath the bridge at the Northcote end. The hollow girder design by Freeman, Fox and Partners design was unprecedented in New Zealand, and fell outside the 1950s building codes in New Zealand. Initial plans for the bridge were for an extremely slender structure, only 2.9 metres thick, due to the competing specifications from two stakeholders:
9882-416: The need for a massive motorway through the city centre of Auckland and severely damaging inner-city suburbs such as Freemans Bay and Grafton . The bridge was originally built with four lanes for traffic. Owing to the rapid expansion of suburbs on the North Shore and increasing traffic levels, it was soon necessary to increase capacity; by 1965, the annual use was about 10 million vehicles, three times
10004-457: The north before reverting to a single carriageway east of the town. The highway continues eastward to the town of Tīrau , where it turns south to pass through Putāruru and Tokoroa and the surrounding exotic pine plantation forest area. At Wairakei, SH 1 takes an eastern route to bypass Taupō and meet the Lake Taupō shoreline south of the town near the airport . SH 1 follows
10126-417: The northbound clip-on. A "tidal flow" ( dynamic lanes ) system is in place, with the direction of the two centre lanes changed to provide an additional lane for peak-period traffic. During the morning peak, five of the eight lanes are for southbound traffic; in the afternoon, five lanes are northbound. At other times, the lanes are split evenly, but peak traffic has become proportionately less – in 1991 there
10248-496: The original piers . The bridge is 1,020 m (3,348 ft) long, with a main span of 243.8 metres (800 feet) rising 43.27 metres (142 feet) above high water, allowing ships access to the deepwater wharf at the Chelsea Sugar Refinery , one of the few such wharves west of the bridge. While often considered an Auckland icon, many see the construction of the bridge without walking, cycling, and rail facilities as
10370-605: The original forecast. In 1967, a contract was given to Japanese firm Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. (now IHI Corporation) to construct two steel box girder bridges affixed to the Harbour Bridge, to greatly increase the number of lanes on the bridge. The girder sections were prefabricated in Japan and transported to New Zealand on a converted oil tanker. The eastern section was completed in January 1969, while
10492-415: The path of oncoming traffic. In 1990, a movable concrete safety barrier was put in place to separate traffic heading in opposite directions and eliminate head-on accident. Two specially designed barrier transfer machines moved the barrier by one lane four times a day, at a speed of 6 km/h, the first concrete safety barrier of its kind installed on a box girder bridge in the world. In March 2009,
10614-414: The police cordon onto the bridge. At that stage police closed the northbound lanes to traffic, bringing State Highway 1 to a stop. The remainder of the protesters moved onto the bridge, which was not resisted any more by the police. No accidents, violence or arrests were reported, and protesters left the bridge approximately an hour later, many having crossed to the North Shore and back. The protest created
10736-408: The previous months. In 2007, it was announced that NZ$ 45 million in maintenance work on the clip-ons was brought forward as part of good practice. In October 2007, a 2006 report from Beca Group surfaced in the press, noting that the clip-ons were at risk of catastrophic, immediate failure in circumstances such as a traffic jam trapping a large number of trucks. Transit noted that this situation
10858-512: The project up until the end of September, and the final amount spent was not known. In 2022 Waka Kotahi confirmed it would not provide a trial of walking and cycling on the Auckland Harbour Bridge due to concerns around safety of people using the lane and motor congestion on the bridge. In July 2023 Bike Auckland released a report by consultant SmartSense Limited, addressing Waka Kotahi's key concerns about reallocating
10980-401: The proposal for a trial cycle lane, NZTA stated that a cycle lane would likely require two lanes in order to provide sufficient protection for cyclists and pedestrians. A couple of days after Bike Auckland 's rally, in June 2021, Transport Minister Michael Wood announced a new stand-alone walking and cycling bridge would be built on the eastern side of the Auckland Harbour Bridge. The bridge
11102-458: The proposal would not require widening, the costs have been preliminarily assessed as of the order of NZ$ 12 million. The group proposes to raise the majority of the funding via a loan backed by small tolls, of the order of NZ$ 1 for regular users. NZTA noted that it would be considering the proposal, should funding be able to be secured by the campaigners. In 2011, the proposal got new public support when Auckland Mayor Len Brown agreed that
11224-430: The rally, with a police cordon blocking access. After Bike Auckland's rally concluded, much of the crowd made their way over to the police cordon and pushed past onto the bridge, to show their determination for access for walking and cycling to be provided on the Auckland Harbour Bridge. No injuries were reported however one person was arrested for breaching the cordon, before being released without charge. In response to
11346-416: The road are steep by international standards. Most steep sections having a combination of passing lanes (uphill), and crawler lanes or stopping bays (downhill) to allow heavy and slow vehicles to pull out of the way to let other vehicles pass. Waka Kotahi classifies the most part of State Highway 1 as a national strategic road. The exceptions are between Kawakawa and Whangārei and south of Mosgiel, where
11468-453: The same site as before, and to become integrated into a new plaza space. In July 2010, NZTA announced that all services (pipes and cables) in the path of the tunnel had been successfully relocated, freeing up the construction zone up for all further works (works not hindered by such services have been proceeding for some time, and construction of the tunnel walls was to finish around middle of July). Around 160,000 m3 of soil will be removed in
11590-594: The small town of Ward the highway heads to the coast and follows it to Kaikōura . After passing Kaikōura, it veers inland, twisting tortuously through the Hundalee Ranges before emerging at the northern end of the Canterbury Plains . The section of highway between the Clarence River and Hapuku Rivers north of Kaikōura was closed from 14 November 2016 to 15 December 2017, due to damage from
11712-514: The south, is the country's busiest section of road, with more than 200,000 vehicle movements a day between Khyber Pass Road and Gillies Ave. NZTA announced in September 2010 that it was replacing the last three fords on SH 1S. The shingle fan fords are near Kaikōura , and while generally being dry, on about 28 days a year state highway traffic used to detour around them due to high water levels on old single-lane bridges, leading to delays on
11834-403: The standard of driving. Of the 600,000 vehicles which used the bridge over this period, 6,000 were stopped, with half of those receiving a ticket and the rest cautioned. A second blitz was held for 36 hours a few weeks later. For many years, lane directions were indicated by overhead signals. In the late 1980s, a number of fatal head-on accidents occurred when vehicles crossed lane markings into
11956-710: The suburb of Linden , the Transmission Gully Motorway ends, and SH 1 merges on to the Johnsonville-Porirua Motorway . The motorway gradually ascends through Tawa before reaching Johnsonville . Here, the motorway ends, and SH 1 as a six-lane arterial road steeply descends through the Ngauranga Gorge to the Ngauranga Interchange , on the shore of Wellington Harbour . At Ngauranga , SH 1 becomes
12078-403: The support of a diverse array of organisations, calling for Waka Kotahi to liberate the lane now to give Aucklanders more affordable and sustainable transport options, and that it would be a key symbol of climate action. On Sunday, 24 May 2009, thousands of people crossed the bridge as a part of a protest by GetAcross against the bridge not providing walking and cycling access, and against what
12200-489: The toll booths were removed, which they agreed to. When the bridge became toll free, most of the Auckland Harbour Bridge Authority staff were absorbed into the roads board. Some critics have alleged that the routing of State Highway 1 over the bridge was motivated by the need to create toll revenue, and led to a decades-long delay on finishing the Western Ring Route around Auckland, significantly contributing to
12322-755: The top of the Bombay Hills , just short of the Auckland/ Waikato boundary. At Bombay, SH 1 becomes the Waikato Expressway , a four-lane dual-carriageway expressway. The expressway takes the highway down the Bombay Hills to Mercer, where SH 1 meets the Waikato River , which it broadly follows for the next 220 km (140 mi). The Waikato Expressway bypasses Hamilton city centre to the east, then bypasses Cambridge to
12444-438: The traffic lanes of the remaining southbound viaduct at a later stage was not ruled out. It was initially desired by the local stakeholders but did not go forward, even though the estimates for a replacement of the existing viaduct with a second/wider two-way tunnel envisaged costs of only 50% over the cost of a one-way structure (rather than a doubling of the cost). Transit has noted that the existing viaduct might remain in use for
12566-490: The tunnel and the Auckland Harbour Bridge . These works included the construction of new noise barriers of 3-5m height, made of transparent panels, allowing intervisibility between the motorway and the Saint Marys Bay cliffs. The works at the northern end of the tunnel will including a pedestrian bridge over the widened State Highway 1 connecting the eastern end of Westhaven Marina and the Western Reclamation with
12688-405: The tunnel approaches and the permanent on-ramp. In mid-2011, it was announced that the project was ahead of schedule, with traffic being able to use the tunnel as early as November 2011, and all works intended to be completed by February 2012. In early July 2011, construction (but not fit-out) works were finished in the tunnel. As part of the tunnel works, additional lanes were constructed between
12810-498: The tunnel portal to be built in the area), and reemerges to the northwest of the park where it feeds into additional lanes provided alongside the St Marys Bay stretch of the motorway. The tunnel provides three lanes of traffic, and is 440 m long. Construction was originally to last four years, starting in January 2010, after the new National government fast-tracked further state highways investment. A future option to also bury
12932-491: The tunnel underneath. The construction works also made a small number of archeological finds, including a 19th-century dual-trigger pistol, and various remains of old wharves and retaining walls thought to have been used in the land reclamation works that created Victoria Park. New Zealand State Highway 1 State Highway 1 ( SH 1 ) is the longest and most significant road in the New Zealand road network , running
13054-515: The uphill sections. Near Puhoi , on the Hibiscus Coast , SH 1 becomes the Auckland Northern Motorway . This 7.5 km (4.7 mi) section of the motorway is an automated toll road . At Orewa , the motorway becomes toll-free, crossing farmland to the North Shore of Auckland . The road crosses through suburbs to the Waitematā Harbour , which it briefly follows before crossing it by the Auckland Harbour Bridge . The motorway comes off
13176-661: The volcanoes of Ruapehu , Ngauruhoe and Tongariro . The road between Rangipo (10 km (6.2 mi) south of Tūrangi) and Waiouru is commonly known as the Desert Road . SH 1 enters the Manawatū-Whanganui Region, and descends through an army training area to the end of the Desert Road at Waiouru . From Waiouru, the highway follows tributaries of the Rangitikei River through Taihape to meet
13298-546: The walking and cycling "clipon" could start in 2020. Mayoral candidate John Tamihere proposed replacement with a 10-lane lower level plus rail and cycling/pedestrian facilities on an upper level. On 30 May 2021, more than 1,500 cyclists crossed the bridge following the Liberate the Lane rally at Point Erin Park organised by Bike Auckland . The rally called for a trial of reallocating a traffic lane for walking and cycling on
13420-482: The western side was completed shortly before the additional lanes were formally opened on 23 September 1969. Each side added two additional lanes to the bridge, doubling the number of lanes to eight. As the sections were manufactured by a Japanese company, this led to the nickname 'Nippon clip-ons'. The selection of the company was considered a bold move at the time, barely 20 years after WWII and with some considerable anti-Japanese sentiment still existing. The costs of
13542-719: Was constructed from opposing sides of the harbour. The southern section was cantilevered , until both sides were joined in March 1959. Completed in April 1959, three weeks ahead of schedule, the bridge was officially opened on 30 May 1959 by the Governor-General Lord Cobham . An open day had been held, when 106,000 people had walked across. The opening period was extremely busy, despite the poor weather in Auckland experienced in June 1959. Either three or four men had been killed by accidents during construction, and
13664-620: Was decided to strengthen the bridge's girder system. Paid for by government-backed loans , the bridge started out as a toll bridge , the first one in New Zealand, with toll booths at the northern end for north-bound and south-bound traffic. Tolls were originally 2/6 (2 shillings and six pence: approximately $ 5.50 in 2018) per car but were reduced to 2/- (2 shillings: approximately $ 4.47 in 2018) after 15 months of operation. The toll remained at 2 shillings until New Zealand changed to decimal currency in July 1967, when that amount became 20 cents in
13786-620: Was diverted to run through Frankton via Avalon Drive, Greenwood Street, Kahikatea Drive and Normandy Avenue. The Frankton route then became the SH 1C spur in July 2022, with SH 1N being diverted to the newly-opened Hamilton section of the Waikato Expressway . In Christchurch, SH 1S originally ran via the city centre rather than around the outskirts via Harewood. The original route was via Main North Road, Cranford Street, Sherborne Street, Bealey Avenue, Madras and Gasson Streets (north)/Barbadoes Street and Waltham Road (south), Brougham Street,
13908-515: Was diverted via Western Hills Drive, while the original route through Timaru via Stafford and King Streets was diverted via Theodosia Street and Craigie Avenue. In 2010, the Taupō Bypass was constructed shifting the original SH 1 from the township and lakeside to the eastern outskirts of Taupō. The bypass starts at Wairakei near the existing SH 1/SH 5 intersection and finishes to the north of Taupo Airport. The concurrency with SH 5 also follows part of
14030-478: Was estimated to cost a total of $ 785 million and had the support of Auckland mayor Phil Goff who said it would benefit both Aucklanders and tourists. The plan received criticism from cycling, trucking and other transport advocates, as well as from the government opposition parties. In October 2021, Wood announced the project had been scrapped due to lack of public support. He said Waka Kotahi had spent $ 51 million on designs, consultants and engineering plans for
14152-430: Was extremely unlikely, and measures already implemented would prevent it from occurring. In January 2008, it became known that even after the multimillion-dollar maintenance works, a full ban for trucks on all clip-on lanes might be required, or the working life could be reduced to only ten more years. In late 2009, it was announced that due to greater than expected complexity of the task and increasing material costs for
14274-505: Was given in 2015. However, this was appealed by three local groups (two which later dropped out of the appeal). The decision of the original hearing was upheld in December 2016, and the last appeal rejected by the Environment Court . In the meantime, Council had already provided in principle approval for a public-private partnership funding model, in a unanimous support vote earlier in 2016. A 2019 announcement said that work on
14396-501: Was officially opened on 30 March 2022. It provides a new alignment for State Highway 1 between Mackays Crossing and Linden , diverting the route from the Centennial Highway between Paekākāriki and Pukerua Bay , as well as providing an eastern bypass of Porirua . The previous route of State Highway 1 was renumbered to State Highway 59 on 7 December 2021, which created a temporary 26.2 kilometres (16.3 mi) gap in
14518-460: Was often a higher than 3:1 difference in directional traffic; in 2006, this had dropped to around 1.6:1. The bridge has an estimated capacity of 180,000 vehicles per day, and in 2006 had an average volume of 168,754 vehicles per day (up from 122,000 in 1991). In March 1982, the Ministry of Transport and Auckland Harbour Bridge Authority conducted a week-long traffic blitz in an attempt to improve
14640-590: Was polled as very high. The GetAcross group and Cycle Action Auckland (later rebranded to Bike Auckland) argued that lower-cost options were available, and that provision for a walk- and cycleway could relatively easily be included in the bridge strengthening works that were being planned for the clip-ons. A 2008 proposal to modify the clip-ons and potentially widen them to add walking and cycling paths met with different reactions. While Auckland Regional Council and North Shore City Council voted to support it (under certain conditions), Auckland City Council considered
14762-411: Was re-designated part of SH 17. However, SH 17 was short lived, being revoked in September 2012 and reverting to a local arterial road. Ara Tuhono, the Puhoi to Warkworth motorway, was opened in June 2023. The Auckland Southern Motorway was built between 1953 and 1978, bypassing the former route via Great South Road . The construction of the Central Motorway Junction between 1973 and 1978 connected
14884-554: Was showcasing its proposed walking/cycling solution , called SkyPath, on its website. Following years of campaigning a Harbour Bridge crossing, known as Skypath, was promised funding by the Labour Party in the lead-up to the 2017 general election . Once Labour was in government, the project was passed to the Waka Kotahi / NZ Transport Agency which released a revised design in 2019. In July 2023 Bike Auckland released
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