Auckland Airport is starting one of its most significant roading projects in decades, with the upgrade of its core network.
The Northern Network project is costing around $100 million and will transform the main entranceway into the airport, as well as providing critical support for new public transport connections.
It’s one of eight key projects planned for Auckland Airport over the next decade and will add capacity to George Bolt Memorial Drive and see other new roads constructed around the core airport network.
“Northern Network is about making access to the airport reliable, with the roading network resilient enough to cope with anticipated volumes in the years ahead,” Auckland Airport’s development and delivery general manager André Lovatt says.
“Northern Network is a key project for Auckland Airport in that it is providing the roading infrastructure backbone for a multi-billion investment programme to transform Auckland Airport over the next two decades,” he says.
Auckland Airport’s visitor numbers are expected to double to more than 40 million by 2044 and the company is beginning a critical phase of infrastructure development over two decades.
During this project, George Bolt Memorial Drive, the main road into the airport from the north, will be widened to create high occupancy vehicle lanes, with shared pedestrian and cycle paths alongside.
New roads will also be added to the airport network.
A new one-way loop road will be built, allowing traffic to flow efficiently through a pick up/drop off zone at the international terminal before connecting back into George Bolt Memorial Drive. The new Altitude Drive will provide additional roading capacity, allowing terminal bound traffic greater journey time reliability.
Construction firm Downer has been appointed as the contractor for the project.
Earthworks will begin in August this year with the roading improvements completed by mid-2021.
“This project is one of a suite of transport and roading projects to take place allowing the growth of the airport, which includes the second runway,” André says.
“We know that any time there are roadworks on busy roads across Auckland it can affect traffic.
“We will be maintaining two sealed lanes in either direction on George Bolt Memorial Drive, just as there are today, but we need to keep our site workers safe and we will be asking road users to take care.
“We also ask that people take the roadworks into account when they’re planning their trip to the airport.”
This investment supports Auckland Airport’s long-term strategy to enable public transport, and aligns with the investment being made by the NZ Transport Agency and Auckland Transport in the wider transport network serving Auckland Airport, including the new Puhinui Station and State Highway 20B.
Northern Network is the second key anchor project to kick off this year, following the start of Auckland Airport’s airfield expansion in June, a project that will increase the size of the airfield by 18% and provide new taxiways and remote stands for the parking and servicing of aircraft.
Other infrastructure development projects that will begin over the next decade include a new domestic jet terminal, a new international arrivals’ area, rejuvenation of the current domestic terminal, a second runway, a new cargo facility and reconfiguration of the international forecourt drop-off and pick up area.
Auckland Airport has already completed a four-year project to upgrade its international terminal departures area, plus extended Nixon Road last year to provide heavy traffic crossing the precinct an alternative route.
