Auckland Transport is making major repairs to Duck Creek Road, a crucial access road during the construction of O Mahurangi – Penlink, the new 7km highway between Whangaparaoa Road and State Highway 1.
Duck Creek Road is the only road connection to Stillwater and runs off Spur Road from East Coast Bays Road on the Hibiscus Coast. The road usually caters for around 2000 vehicle movements per day however this has increased while accommodating heavy haulage vehicles associated with the Penlink build.
“A portion of Duck Creek Road experienced an under slip near the northern side of the road during the extreme weather events of 2023,” said Alan Wallace, GM of Road Asset Maintenance and Renewals at AT.
“Over time the road began to slump – exacerbated by the increase in heavy traffic – so a decision was made to get on and fix it to secure ongoing and safe access for residents and visitors.
“The urgency of this project is paramount, as further slips could sever community access and disrupt material and machinery supply for the Penlink project.”
Three retaining walls are being built; Two on the north (valley) side, measuring 16 metres wide and 86 metres long, and one on the embankment (south) side which is 95 metres long. The re-design also includes pavement, drainage works, footpaths, and driveways.
Duck Creek Road is open but has been restricted to one lane through the construction site area.
“A major challenge is accommodating heavy haulage traffic for use on the O Mahurangi Penlink Alliance,” says Mr Wallace, “however this has been managed well to date, with full road closures over short periods where necessary, and the installation of safety barriers to protect the travelling public and Fulton Hogan workers. We’re also collaborating with Vector to protect or relocate their assets which are compromised by slips.”
Work on Duck Creek Road started at the end of June and is expected to take seven months to complete. To date construction teams have installed 60 per cent of the timber poles for the southern retaining wall, along with associated earthworks.
During the storm events of 2023, more than 2,000 slips and roading issues were reported across the Auckland region. The flood repair programme is expected to take 2 to 3 years to complete and will cost $390 million. For further information visit Long-term road repairs from Auckland storms (at.govt.nz).
