North Shore set for new express bus service

Express buses will run from the Constellation Drive Station every 15 minutes. Picture / Greg Bowker

North Shore commuters are facing the first major disruption from their $290 million busway construction, even though two of its bus stations are almost ready.

As motorists are warned of delays along Northcote Rd from tomorrow morning, the Auckland Regional Transport Authority has announced a new high-frequency express bus service from early next month, from the two stations to Britomart for 17 hours a day.

Traffic delays are expected with the closure of a southbound motorway ramp from Northcote Rd, which points up to 2000 vehicles an hour toward the Auckland Harbour Bridge in the morning peak.

For the next year to 18 months they will have to use a 250m replacement ramp, starting 50m further east along Northcote Rd, while Transit New Zealand builds a two-lane busway tunnel under Northcote Rd, parallel to the motorway.

Motorway-bound traffic should flow smoothly once vehicles negotiate a tight right-hand turn, but traffic continuing east to Takapuna or Milford is likely to be delayed by a narrowing of Northcote Rd for tunnel preparations.

Northbound traffic leaving the motorway can also expect longer queues along the off-ramp to Northcote Rd.

Busway project director Clive Fuhr acknowledged last night that the tunnelling was likely to create more traffic disruption than any other construction along his 8.5km route.

Traffic diversions for major activities further south on the associated $40 million Esmonde Rd interchange project are taking place at night. But Mr Fuhr hopes delays along Northcote Rd will ease after Labour Weekend, once commuters begin finding alternative routes.

His team is encouraging large vehicles to avoid the difficult turn to the on-ramp by continuing down Northcote Rd to reach the motorway via Barrys Pt Rd.

Patients headed to North Shore Hospital are advised to use alternative motorway exits.

But at the northern end of the project, at Albany and Constellation Drive, construction under the auspices of North Shore City Council is about to start paying off, with the opening of two of the project's five planned bus stations.

Although the busway proper will not be ready until 2008, the two stations will, from November 6, pour express buses on to the Northern Motorway, every 15 minutes from 5.45am to 10.45pm.

"You can just park your car, and then jump on a bus, all the way to Britomart," Mr Fuhr said while inspecting final work on the Albany station, which will have 350 free "park and ride" vehicle spaces and serve as an interchange for feeder buses from outlying suburbs.

The express buses will, under a contract the Auckland Regional Transport Authority has let to Ritchies Transport, stop only to pick up passengers at the Albany and Constellation stations.

Some will extend to Massey University, a five-minute ride from the Albany station, and weekend services will run to almost the same hours.

Other services operated either by Ritchies or Stagecoach will feed into the stations, and the transport authority is offering a limited "integrated" ticket to passengers for $10 return a day or $45 for seven days.

This will also entitle commuters to two stages of train travel once they reach Auckland, extending to Kingsland on the western rail line, Ellerslie on the southern line, and Glen Innes to the east. Lower fares for one-way travel have yet to be finalised. The Constellation station will have parking for up to 400 cars, and the transport authority likens the express bus shuttle to that of trains running along a railway line.