KEY POINTS:
I have heard that the Newmarket motorway bridge is being replaced as it would not be safe in an earthquake. Work seems to have already started on one of the onramps. Is the bridge still safe to drive on in the meantime? Is it safe to park/work/walk underneath?
Fiona James, Auckland.
Yes, it's fine. The viaduct does not meet modern earthquake standards for extreme events, so it is being replaced with a new structure which does. The project, which will widen the viaduct as well, is due to start in 2009, but it may be brought forward to December this year if the resource consents can be fast-tracked. In the meantime, let's pray for no extreme events.
And the work you have seen on the St Marks Rd onramp is a different project, to widen the onramp and install ramp signals.
There are steel plates on the road surface at either end of the harbour bridge where the bridge meets the motorway. When the road is wet the plates become very slippery and dangerous, and I have often seen near-accidents as cars skid on them. Can something be done to improve the traction on the plates?
B. Reid, Auckland.
The metal plates are part of the expansion joints for the bridge, and cannot be altered. They move with bearings on a downward circular track, and the curve and movement along the track allows the joint to move underneath the fixed plate as the bridge expands and contracts. Motorists need to be aware of the plates and be extra careful in the wet.
Are mopeds allowed to use the cycleway that runs next to the Northwestern Motorway? And are mopeds allowed to cross the harbour bridge?
Rhys Hambridge-Johnson, Auckland.
One answer indicates the other here. Mopeds are classified as motorised vehicles by Land Transport New Zealand, and therefore they are not allowed on footpaths or cycleways. But because they are motorised vehicles, they can cross the bridge, provided they can keep up with the flow of traffic.
And, revisiting a question printed on August 7, here's the correct answer. Murphy indeed.
Right-turning traffic from the top of Murphys Rd into Redoubt Rd is playing Russian roulette with the fast traffic coming down from the Mill Rd area. Does Manukau City Council have any plans for this intersection?
Bruce Marshall, Mangere.
The council will reduce the speed limit for this section of Redoubt Rd, and is investigating ways to meet future traffic growth in the area. However, options or alternatives to the current intersection are some way off.
