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While major works are common on the Southern Motorway as Franklin booms, a wider strategy should see the Super City make the most of its superhighways.
The Auckland Motorway Strategic Plan (AMSP) by the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) sets out how smarter traffic management, targeted investment and wider transport improvements will keep the city moving as it grows.
“Auckland’s motorway network carries around 1.5 million trips every day and is critical to keeping people and freight moving,” Transport Minister Chris Bishop says.
“As Auckland grows, we need to get more from the motorway network we’ve already built while continuing to invest where extra capacity is genuinely needed.”
As motorways have already been widened in many parts of the network “as much as practical,” the AMSP is required, he confirms.
“The [plan] sets out how we will achieve that shift in approach over the next 30-plus years as Auckland’s population grows beyond two million people. This practical, long-term approach supports the government’s focus on improving freight efficiency, building a more resilient transport network and supporting economic growth.”
Mayor Wayne Brown says the plan provides a shared long-term direction for improving the city’s motorway network and is another achievement from the Auckland Regional Deal.
“People and businesses want to spend less time stuck in traffic and more time getting where they need to go,” he says. “This plan recognises that we can’t simply keep widening motorways forever. We need to make better use of the network we’ve got through optimisation and investing in small, sensible projects that will make the biggest difference for Aucklanders.”
Partnership between local and central government underpins the plan.
“This isn’t a construction programme or a funding announcement. It’s a long-term strategy that will help shape future investment decisions as Auckland continues to grow,” Brown adds. “It aligns with my focus on low-cost fixes to deliver an efficient, reliable network.”
The AMSP will be a key input into Auckland’s upcoming 30-year statutory transport plan, Bishop and Brown believe. It will:
Optimise the existing network through smarter traffic management, quicker responses to crashes and breakdowns, small-scale improvements and delivering Time of Use Charging
Increase capacity where bottlenecks are impacting efficiency, prioritise projects to increase capacity and address resilience risks
Improve the wider transport system, including public transport capacity, rail network improvements and local roads so fewer trips on the motorway network are needed
Click here to view the plan.
