Wellesley Street intersection closure
We’re about to start building the Aotea underground station in central Auckland.
While this construction is underway the intersection of Wellesley Street West, Mayoral Drive and Albert Street will close to traffic.
The intersection will close on Sunday, 1 March and remain closed until early 2021 – however businesses in the area remain open and pedestrian access will be maintained.
“Construction of the Aotea Station under the intersection is massive in scale,” said Dale Burtenshaw, Deputy Project Director for the Link Alliance, who are building the main section of stations and tunnels for the City Rail Link project.
“The closure allows us to safely and quickly move existing underground utilities before building the station walls and roof,” he said.
Once the station’s walls and roof are built, Wellesley Street West will re-open to through traffic (in early 2021) while construction of the station, platform and tunnels continues below ground. Access to Mayoral Drive at the intersection will remain closed until the CRL is completed in 2024. Local access to Albert Street will be maintained.
Mr Burtenshaw said the Link Alliance, CRL Ltd, Auckland Council and Auckland Transport acknowledge the impact station construction and the intersection closure will have on the immediate community and road users and are collaborating on plans to keep the city centre moving.
“Impact is unavoidable, but we are determined to minimise this as much as practicably possible while we build the station,” Mr Burtenshaw said. “Our priority is to keep people informed.”
Buses will not be able to travel through the intersection after it closes to traffic. People are encouraged to visit AT.govt.nz/BetterWay to find out more about changes to bus routes and information about travelling into the city centre.
Temporary accessible footpaths will be built to keep the construction area safe and clear. Private vehicles travelling around the area will experience delays during their journey.
The map shows alternative routes and loading zones for traffic during the closure.
For more information on CRL visit www.cityraillink.co.nz/cbd-wellesley-street-intersection-closure or sign up to the Aotea Station newsletter here.