The Strand Optimisation project

1 May 2025

Latest update on The Strand Optimisation project

Kia ora koutou,

We are on the home stretch to provide a safer travel corridor for people walking and cycling. The majority of construction of stage 1 is now complete, with minor works to be carried out in May. Additionally, we have obtained the resource consent to start the construction of stage 2’s shared use path.

Read on to find out more…

Stage 1 construction - Aerial Drone View

Stage 1 completion

We are pleased to announce that majority of stage 1 construction is now complete with minor works to be carried out in May. These works were undertaken from late 2024/early 2025 to April 2025. A summary of the stage 1 improvements is below:

A special vehicle lane (SVL) has been created on either side of The Strand between the intersection of Parnell Rise/The Strand and west of St Georges Bay Road to help move people and freight around more reliably. The SVL is for vehicles with two or more people (T2) and heavy vehicles, operating between 6.30AM – 10:00AM and 4:00PM – 7:00PM, Monday to Friday. No parking is permitted along the SVL to ensure two lanes are always available.

Upgrades to existing intersections and providing new pedestrian crossings

• The Alten Road crossing was located further north to align with the shared use path entrance on Churchill Street, providing a single movement for crossing Alten Road.
• The two existing crossings required to cross Alten Road were removed.
• Two new signalised crossing were added; one across Nicholls Lane and one along Gladstone Road, just west of Balfour Road.
• No new signalised pedestrian crossings were built along The Strand, as previously proposed.
• Minor improvements were made at the SH16/Alten Road/Nicholls Lane and Stanley Street intersection.
• The camber of the road was adjusted along The Strand near the St Georges Bay Road intersection and The Strand train station to increase safety due to instances of truck roll-over events which have occurred in the past
• Installation of high kerbs on the approach to the rail overbridge and adjustments to the lane positions to improve vehicle tracking to prevent kerb runover.
  Upgrades to the existing fence extending from just north of Sudbury Terrace to the rail overbridge.

Stage 2 commencement - shared use path

Now that we have the approved resource consent, we expect to start construction for stage 2 next month (May) and anticipate it to take approximately 4 months to complete, subject to weather conditions.

We expect there to be minimal road disruptions during construction of stage 2 as there is limited interaction with the road, including the new special vehicle lane (SVL).

Similar to stage 1, our construction partners Auckland System Management (ASM) will carry out these works and will be the key contact during this time. ASM will continue to prioritise minimising any disruption to the local community, businesses, and road users as best as possible.

The Stage 2 improvements include:

• Connecting the shared use path to the existing Grafton Gully shared use path just prior to Alten Road. It will follow the existing path on Churchill Street to the new signalised crossing, then run along Beach Road and connect to The Strand up to the rail overbridge. It will be separated from the road to improve safety, road efficiency and productivity.
• Two-way travel for the entire length of the shared use path.
• Zebra crossings on all side streets to provide shared use path users with priority.

Next steps

With the final stage of the project underway, we are now working with ASM to facilitate the handover for the stage 2 works. Please note that ASM will manage these communications going forward. To keep updated on construction go to: https://www.nzta.govt.nz/asm/upcoming-maintenance

More information

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out.

Project queries email: StrandOptimisation@nzta.govt.nz
Construction queries email: projectsteam@asm.nzta.govt.nz

Visit our website: www.nzta.govt.nz/the-strand-optimisation