By CATHY ARONSON
The speed limit on Auckland central motorways has been permanently reduced to 80km/h as the city builds new motorway links.
The lower limit, which starts today, will stay in force once the Grafton Gully and Spaghetti Junction sections are improved in the next five years.
Speeds have been lowered
to suit the road conditions, for construction work safety, and to ease congestion.
Motorists have already faced temporary restrictions of up to 50km/h since roadworks began in August.
Sergeant Derek Peel, of the motorway traffic unit, said the set speed limit would make it safer to adjust to roadworks.
Police had asked for the speed reduction for at least two years because the roads were poorly designed for 100km/h, he said.
While most motorists crawled along slower than 80km/h during the day, Mr Peel said those travelling faster in the early hours of the morning or early afternoon could crash and cause even more congestion.
"We've had numerous crashes where motorists lose control.
"We need to get them down to a moderate speed so the narrowing of the lanes and roadworks won't be such a sudden shock to them," he said.
The speed limit will apply to the Southern Motorway from the Victoria Park viaduct, south to Gillies Ave, and on the Northwestern Motorway (SH16) from Grafton Gully west to the footbridge just before Bond St.
Transit regional manager Wayne McDonald said these sections of motorway were the most congested in New Zealand, struggling to carry an average 200,000 vehicles a day.
A 80km/h limit already applies to the motorway from the Victoria Park viaduct north over the Harbour Bridge to the Onewa Rd interchange.
The $178 million improvements to the bottleneck at Spaghetti Junction will connect the Northwestern and Northern Motorways and from Grafton Gully to the Northern Motorway.
Work will continue until 2007.
At Grafton Gully, $68 million will be spent to build a new bridge from Wellesley St to Grafton Rd, and for improvements to Stanley St by 2004.
Mr McDonald said new alignments and geometry for the extra connection ramps could not be taken at high speed.
"It's appropriate for this very complex junction.
"There is no intention to reduce the speed limit for the entire network."
Further reading
Feature: Getting Auckland moving
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