Ask Phoebe: Highway creates a blind corner

The SH20 Mt Roskill Extension Motorway. Photo / Herald on Sunday

Those of us in Hillsborough welcomed the opening of SH20 but does the Transport Agency realise it has created a dangerous corner for motorists travelling east and leaving the motorway at Hillsborough Rd? When a driver is turning right from the motorway exit on to the overbridge into Hillsborough Rd, the intersection is not visible and the driver must turn into it blind. This poses a significant danger, as I found some months ago when, luckily, I hesitated a second and a police car went through the red lights at speed with flashing lights and no siren. This could just as easily have been one of the many cars that run orange and red lights. I find the only way to see into the intersection is to be in the left lane and stopped on the pedestrian crossing. The problem is caused by a concrete barrier on the overbridge which needs to be removed so visibility can be restored. Could this be investigated please?
Liz Jones, Hillsborough.

The Transport Agency says it will investigate the Hillsborough Rd interchange this year as part of its annual review of interchanges on the Auckland motorway network. It says the interchange is designed to meet international safety standards, and the barrier is there to prevent vehicles involved in any crash falling on to the motorway below. Traffic volumes are growing in Auckland and the agency advises people to drive through intersections with care.

Could you please find out if there are plans to widen the off-ramp at Royal Rd to two lanes? At the moment the right-turning fork (into Makora Rd) serves for both traffic turning left and right at the top into Royal Rd. This causes dangerous queues on the motorway. Much of the problem could be resolved with two right-turning lanes at the lights. There's plenty of room; removing 1m from the island and repainting the lines would be enough The lanes up the hill could be doubled too. Instead of having one lane before the lights and people swerving across into the "turning bay", repaint the lines to a left-turning lane and a right-turning lane.
Scott Addis, Royal Heights.

Good news and not so good news. The Transport Agency plans to upgrade the Royal Rd interchange as part of its project to complete the Western Ring Route. The less welcome news is that construction is not scheduled to start until 2018. The final design of the lanes will be decided closer to the time to better reflect traffic volumes. However the current preliminary design includes almost doubling the length of the current offramp from the Northwestern Motorway and providing two right-hand turns from the offramp on to Makora Rd. The agency is also planning to widen Makora Rd between the end of the offramp and the Royal Rd intersection to allow two lanes of traffic in each direction. Royal Rd is part of a series of improvements along the Northwestern Motorway. Work on the Lincoln Rd interchange is already under way and there are plans to widen and raise the highway where it crosses the Waitemata Harbour.