The O Mahurangi Alliance is continuing to progress its detailed design for the future O Mahurangi-Penlink highway connection with Whangaparāoa Road at Stanmore Bay.

They supplemented existing traffic data for the area as part of their detailed design work by conducting real-time traffic counts and driver behaviour observations at some key local intersections in Stanmore Bay.

As a result, they have made three further refinements to the original Whangaparāoa intersection design that were submitted to Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency as part of a successful bid to deliver this long-awaited project for the local community. These changes are intended to improve traffic flow and safety outcomes.

1. On Whangaparāoa Road, they added another westbound lane after Cedar Terrace to ensure there is a future-proofed capacity for vehicles travelling from further up the peninsula to join O Mahurangi-Penlink.

2. To prevent unsafe right turns at the intersection of Cedar Terrace and Whangaparāoa Road, motorists will only be permitted to make left turns into and out of Cedar Terrace once O Mahurangi-Penlink is built.

Many local residents have already said they actively avoid turning right out of Cedar Terrace due to safety concerns associated with limited visibility and traffic speed. This is reflected in the recent traffic count data, which showed less than three vehicles an hour at peak times turning right out of this intersection. With additional lanes added to Whangaparāoa Road for O Mahurangi-Penlink and expected increases in traffic volume over time, safety issues associated with a right turn at Cedar Terrace would remain.

3. Additional lane length has been provided on Whangaparāoa Road for the future right turn lane to connect to Beverley Road, Wiriana Place, and the existing Whangaparāoa Road property access lane.

If you have any questions or feedback about the O Mahurangi-Penlink project, come along to the next community information session to talk with the project team.

When: Wednesday 9 November, 4 pm to 7 pm

Where: The Archer, 1/570 Whangaparāoa Road, Stanmore Bay

If you are unable to attend but still wish to talk to the O Mahurangi-Penlink project team, please contact them on [email protected] or 0800 7365 465.