More than $900,000 has been added to funding improvements at the notorious accident blackspot at Papakura’s Marne Road roundabout.
The money comes on top of the $350,000 already provided by Papakura Local Board to investigate safety improvements and undertake stormwater upgrade work at the same time.
Board chair Brent Catchpole says the allocation comes from the 2023-25 Local Board Transport Capital Fund, established in 2012 by Auckland Transport to allow boards to deliver projects in their areas that AT would not prioritise.
“A long list of projects was prepared and we have whittled it down to fund those we believe are most critical."
“A complicating factor in our decision-making was that AT advised us costs from previous allocations that are still under investigation and design had ballooned."
“It makes sense to finish those because we clearly can’t leave them half done or marooned in the planning.”
This has seen the board commit an additional $1.5 million to complete these projects from the last term, leaving a small sum for emergencies.
The Settlement and Marne roads intersection gets the bulk of that funding but there is also another $250,000 for a pedestrian safety crossing at Smiths Avenue, and $100,000 for similar work at Clevedon and Robb roads.
Roundabout improvements at Porchester and Manuroa roads, also the scene of frequent accidents and near miss issues, receives another $315,000.
Auckland Transport will come back to the board when concepts are completed, and costs better understood.
Those issues are then discussed at workshops and depending on board feedback, can proceed to public consultation, after which detailed design can be completed.
Meanwhile advocates of retaining the Davis Ave car park – technically Coles Crescent, have won the day, with the site removed from potential Auckland Council sale sites.
That’s also true of 26-32 O’Shannessey Street, although any sale of that sight has only been put on hold until property market conditions improve, when a sale might be reconsidered.
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