Auckland Airport unveils $10m scheme to ease traffic congestion

A plan of the new gateway bridge across George Bolt Drive at Auckland Airport.

Auckland Airport will spend $10 million on four new transport projects to ease snarled traffic in the area.

The developments include a suspension bridge with a 40m-high concrete mast.

Airport chief executive Adrian Littlewood said the new transport projects were an important investment in infrastructure that would help to improve the way public transport users, motorists, pedestrians and cyclists move around the area.

"We have a 30-year plan for developing Auckland Airport and as part of the plan, ensuring that passengers, staff and crew can easily access all parts of the airport precinct remains a priority,'' Littlewood said.

During busy days in the lead-up to Christmas some passengers and crew stuck in traffic missed flights and workers in the area complain of a daily struggle to get to and from work.

New transport projects include:

• Upgrading Nixon Road by October to provide a new route to Auckland Airport's Park & Ride on Verissimo Drive without the need for drivers to use the main intersection that connects the domestic and international terminals at Tom Pearce Drive and George Bolt Memorial Drive.

• Improving traffic flows and improving public transport access to the domestic terminal by Christmas through the provision of more space for buses on the terminal forecourt and a new and separate access road for taxis and buses.

• Construction of an ''iconic'' new gateway bridge over George Bolt Memorial Drive by the end of next year for pedestrians and cyclists to connect "the Quad" hotel and commercial precinct with the airport terminals.

• Implementing a transit lane system across the airport precinct between December this year and 2020 for buses and high-occupancy vehicles.

Littlewood said the new gateway bridge would be a spectacular sight and is inspired by the form of a huia feather with a white light tipped column and Māori motifs.

"This new investment in our precinct's transport infrastructure also supports the ongoing and collaborative efforts of the New Zealand Transport Agency, Auckland Transport and Auckland Airport to improve travel times to and from the airport."

"It also builds on other improvements we have made to our precinct's transport infrastructure in the past year."

In the first half of this financial year Auckland Airport fast-tracked a number of planned roading and transport upgrades on its transport network.

Littlewood said the airport was planning a number of additional infrastructure projects to upgrade its transport network and further improve journeys around the airport precinct and this would be announced ''in due course".