Country: New Zealand
Key Area: Transportation
Services: Transportation Planning & Engineering

Auckland City Council commissioned Opus to develop a “multi modal corridor management strategy” for one of the major east-west corridors across the Auckland isthmus. The study was not limited to a particular road.  It also included adjoining land uses, with the aim being to integrate the “Liveable Communities” programme and develop a liveable corridor.   The strategy examined the range of modal options available to support the corridor in its role as a regional arterial.  The work will be used to influence both transport and land use choices for the area in the future.  The work integrated the objectives of the New Zealand Transport Strategy (NZTS) and Land Transport Management Act (LTMA).

The project started with an ambitious data collection exercise for each transport mode as well as landscape amenity, services and utility, and community consultation issues.  This phase also included an origin destination survey of the entire 9km route.

Concept options, based around the five objectives of the NZTS, were developed to help gain an understanding of the constraints and trade-offs that would be required when transport choices were investigated for the corridor.

Following this, three combined options (pictured right) were developed.  These added a level of physical constraint that helped to further clarify trade-offs between provision of facilities and affordability e.g. for bus lanes to be provided a row of houses would need to be taken.

A preferred option for the corridor was identified through a series of workshops.  The preferred option acted as a vision for the corridor and aided in the development of potential schemes and facilities.  Preliminary design plans were developed for the entire corridor.  The plans will be used by Council to shape transport and land use choices in the area, including identification of designations and land use zoning.

In 2006 the project was presented by the client at the ITE Technical Conference and Exhibit in San Antonio, Texas.