Slow fix for Auckland motorway junction

Delays are expected as major changes to Auckland's central motorway junction get underway.

The project is being extended north this month to the Upper Queen St overbridge as work continues on trying to improve traffic flows between Symonds St and Gillies Ave.

There will be intensive construction activity and major changes for motorists, from now through to the completion of Stage 1 in 2005.

Although work will mainly be on the Southern Motorway, some work, and associated lane closures, will be required on the Northwestern Motorway (State Highway 16) and connections to and from the port, which pass under the Southern Motorway.

The next major change to come into effect will be the reduction to one lane of the Northwestern motorway connection to the port until 2005.

Closures of on and off-ramps, motorway lanes, and local streets in the area, will also continue over the coming months.

Work started on the first stage of the project in October and has so far been focused on the section of the Southern Motorway between Gillies Ave and the Khyber Pass Viaduct.

The extension of the project means the scope of work now includes:

* Widening the Southern Motorway between the Upper Queen St overbridge and the Gillies Ave off-ramp to allow for one extra southbound lane, and to make way for extra lanes in the future.

* Widening of structures on the motorway between the Symonds St and Grafton Rd on-ramps (southbound) and the Khyber Pass viaduct, to allow for future lanes.

* Continuing the Grafton Rd on-ramp as a separate southbound lane, eliminating the present merge.

* Establishing an extra southbound lane between the Khyber Pass on-ramp and Gillies Ave off-ramp, allowing traffic to enter and exit without merging with motorway traffic.

* Providing two lanes along the Gillies Ave off-ramp to increase capacity.

* Establishing an extra northbound lane between Gillies Ave on-ramp and Khyber Pass off-ramp, allowing traffic to enter and exit without merging with motorway traffic.