The dangerous Chapel Road Bridge is to be upgraded.
The bridge, more than 60 years old, has been the site of multiple crashes in the past decade.
Botany MP Jami-Lee Ross said the upgrade was long overdue. Between 2006 and 2016, there were 56 crashes on this section of road – 26 injury crashes, including four fatalities and six serious injury crashes.
“It’s just not good enough for this section of road to sit like it is for much longer,” Mr Lee said.
“Locals will know this bridge as the narrow dog leg on Chapel Road by Barry Curtis Park and Sancta Maria College.”
Mr Ross recently hosted Associate Transport Minister, David Bennett, and took him to view Chapel Road Bridge.
“We have good news – the Government is on track to be the major funder of a significant upgrade to this bridge with construction planned to start in the next year or so,” he confirmed.
“Chapel Road Bridge is a particularly bad narrow bridge. It was built in 1954 to a rural standard, with no pedestrian access.”
Critically, it is also in the middle of a fast-growing community and is no longer fit for purpose. Currently, 15,000 vehicles a day cross the bridge.
“With population growth anticipated to be one of the key challenges for Auckland over the next 30 years and with 40,000 people expected to live in Flat Bush, upgrading the road and bridge to widen it, to improve safety, and to provide pedestrian access is important.”
