Some months on since confirmation, the Grafton Gully Cycleway project is now going full-on, with NZTA and designers AECOM working hard to get the design in for construction start late this year.
Stage 1 is to be constructed over the next year, and Stage 2 the year after (roughly speaking, exact dates TBC), but both sections are being designed as one piece to ensure everything works.
Separately, Auckland Transport is to construct the connecting piece to the Waterfront Cycleway / Tamaki Drive (note that the blue section we have shown is likely not exactly the route it will take, though it will go along Beach Road). Once that is done, we will have an almost continuously off-road* cycleway all the way from Henderson in the West to St Heliers in the East!
* The last longer on-road gap in Te Atatu will be closed with a new off-road path during the next years as well. And of course there’s the new Waterfront Cycleway and Waterview Cycleway coming up as well, linking into all this. You may notice we’re excited!
CAA was recently involved in another design workshop meeting for the Grafton Gully Cycleway – and despite the large scale gathering of people from many different authorities (and stakeholders like CAA and the universities), the meeting was very productive. Among the items discusssed were how to “smooth out” the gradient as much as possible, how to best design some of the road crossings, the inclusion of path lighting and the appropriate design for security (especially for at night and to avoid creating any blind corners and entrapment spots). We also discused such more unexpected questions as to whether the cycle path needs to be designed solidly enough to be able to allow motor vehicles (for emergency and maintenance access).
So it’s all looking good, and we hope to give you all a shout-out from the ceremonial construction start in a few months!
