Kia ora <<First Name>>,

This Sunday, 27 June, the Wellesley Street & Albert Street intersection will reopen; and then from the evening of Tuesday, 29 June, the Victoria Street & Albert Street intersection will close to traffic. It is expected to reopen in 2023.

Major construction activity will commence at the closed Victoria / Albert intersection, as part of the Aotea Station build. 

Read on to find out the key details you need to know before Sunday. 

Click here for Simplified Chinese information Victoria Street 和Albert Street 交叉口将于6 月29 日（星期二）关闭  (Simplified Chinese). 

These changes will affect different businesses and residents in different ways -- if you have any specific questions about what the changes mean for you or would like support in a particular area, please email us at aotea@linkalliance.co.nz or call us on 0800 CRL TALK (option 3).

Ngā mihi nui,
The Aotea Station team

Wellesley Street West is re-opening to buses and traffic
From this Sunday 27 June, Wellesley Street will become the main east-west bus corridor through the city centre and many bus routes will move from Victoria Street to Wellesley Street.

For general traffic, please note the section of Mayoral Drive linking with Wellesley Street West remains closed. Also, there is no general traffic access to Wellesley Street West from Queen Street.

Visit the Auckland Transport website for more information about new bus stops and changes for each bus route >>

Access to carparks is maintained
Access to all major carparks continues. The Civic carpark remains accessible from Mayoral Drive, while the Atrium Carpark on Albert Street and Wilson Parking's Elliott Street carpark remain accessible via Wellesley Street West. Both Wilson Parking carparks on Durham Street West also remain open (access via Queen Street and Durham Street West).

Victoria Street / Albert Street intersection closing to traffic
Following the re-opening of Wellesley Street West, the Victoria Street & Albert Street intersection will close to traffic soon after 10pm on Tuesday 29 June. It is expected to remain closed for approximately two years, re-opening in 2023. During the closure, all businesses are still open and the intersection remains fully accessible to pedestrians. 

Construction activity during the closure
A programme of major construction activity will rollout over several years. Initial activity at the intersection will focus on utility upgrades and relocations. Some of this work can be very noisy and dusty so we'll have a range of construction mitigations in place to minimise impact to our neighbours. We select quieter hydrovac trucks where possible, and install noise mats and dust control measures. Some of our activities are very close to businesses - we will reduce our impact as much as we can however some of the works will be disruptive. 

Click here for more information about how we monitor and mitigate construction effects  >>

Walkways through the intersection
There will be two main footpaths across the intersection running from the AA building across Victoria Street to the Mexican Cafe building, and then from near Roma Blooms Florist across Albert Street to the Surf & Snow Backpackers building. Step-free footpaths will be maintained for prams and wheelchairs. If you are on a bike or e-scooter, please "walk your wheels" through the intersection. Some of our walkways will be relatively narrow at times (e.g. 1.5m) - please take care. 

Loading zones
With bus stops no longer in use surrounding the intersection, these will be converted into loading zones. The main loading zones will be located on Victoria Street -- between Elliott Street & Queen Street and Federal Street & Hobson Street, on both north and south sides of the road. Loading on Elliott Street itself will extended to 6am-6pm to support Wellesley Street businesses. Signage will be installed to clearly mark loading locations, and please note some of these areas are goods vehicles only. Our traffic controllers will be closely assisting loading during the first week of the changes. Auckland Transport is responsible for enforcing public loading zones and can be contacted on 09 355 3553. 

Heath, safety, & security
A range of measures will be in place such as accessible step-free walkways, pedestrian lighting, perspex windows and lines of sight through hoardings, and regular cleaning of the area.

We employ a full-time overnight security guard to patrol the site area. Auckland Council (24/7 phone 09 3010101) is able to assist with public hygiene incidents or urgent clean-ups required. Please contact us immediately to report any undesirable behavior or incidents. If you suspect illegal activity, please call 111 if it's an emergency, or 105 for non-emergency.

Small business support programme
While the intersection is closed to through traffic, access to all businesses for customers and servicing is maintained. For any individual needs or questions, please email us at aotea@linkalliance.co.nz or call 0800 CRL TALK (select option 3).

Please click here for more information about how the Link Alliance is supporting businesses and residents, including through a new Small Business Support Programme >>