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Neighbours of Eden Park are about to be consulted over plans to move Sandringham Rd to allow the Kingsland railway station to be enlarged for Rugby World Cup crowds.
That follows police concern that the crowds of up to 9000 sports fans descending on the station after big matches have outgrown its capacity, causing "crushing" on a 3.2m pedestrian bridge between Sandringham Rd and Kingsland, and illegal foot crossings of the western railway line.
Part of Auckland City's remedial plan is to move the busy arterial road 3m to the southeast, to make room for a longer and wider station platform and other potential improvements such as a pedestrian walkway beneath the railway tracks.
Other features of an $18 million set of preferred options include:
* Improving the Sandringham Rd-Walters Rd traffic intersection.
* Creating a more direct foot route from the park to the station including new pedestrian crossings of Walters and Sandringham Rds.
* Adding a southbound bus lane to Sandringham Rd, which already has a northbound lane.
* Creating a link lane for pedestrians and possibly some motor traffic from the northeastern corner of the park on Walters Rd to the top end of Sandringham Rd, allowing sports fans to reach Kingsland or Ponsonby without exacerbating congestion around the railway station.
The plan, which the council's transport committee approved yesterday for public consultations, would involve taking a 3m slice off the front section of 10 heritage villas along Sandringham Rd - half of which are owned by the council.
Another two homes, needed for the proposed new lane further east, have already been bought by the council.
Although council manager Rachael Dacy told the committee she understood the priority would be to move the villas back from the road, Eden-Albert councillor Cathy Casey was alarmed she was unable to give a guarantee none would be demolished.
Although Kingsland station got a $4 million upgrade just over three years ago, Auckland Regional Transport Authority spokeswoman Sharon Hunter said that was before Auckland won the cup-hosting rights and before the boom in rail patronage.
