The next stages in the AMETI Eastern Busway project have now begun, and you will soon start to see a lot of activity along Lagoon Drive and Pakuranga Road between the Panmure Bridge and the Pakuranga Plaza.
To make way for the dedicated busway between Pakuranga and Panmure, 61 houses owned by the Council are being demolished over the next few months and space cleared to prepare for construction.
The tenders process has also begun, with the Council calling for submissions to take on the $100 million project next year. They plan to make a further announcement about this by the end of 2018.
This is an exciting time for Pakuranga as AMETI and the Reeves Road Flyover aim to reduce travel times out of the area for both everyday drivers and those who use public transport, but it will bring with it some challenges.
The Flyover is due to begin construction in 2020, and consultation for this is already underway. The proximity of these two projects will inevitably result in congestion and traffic management issues, and Auckland Transport (AT) have a number of options they are working through to help with traffic flow during these construction phases.
I’ve had preliminary discussions with AT in recent weeks to talk about the unavoidable problems that will arise while the Busway and Flyover are constructed, and to learn more about their proposals to deal with them. I am due to meet with them again next week.
I will be working closely with AT to ensure that whatever is implemented creates the least amount of disruption to our everyday travel needs.
It’s also important for residents and motorists to have their say on the next stages of the project, which includes the Reeves Road Flyover and associated improvements around the Pakuranga Plaza.
You can have a look at what is currently planned by visiting www.at.govt.nz/ameti, where you will find proposed designs and ideas for how it will all take shape, and information about how you can have your say.
Simeon Brown
MP for Pakuranga
