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Attachment A Northern Busway Extension: Constellation to Orewa Investigation and Reporting (I&R) THE ACT UNDER INFORMATION RELEASED OFFICIAL Volume 1: Scheme Assessment Report THE ACT UNDER INFORMATION RELEASED OFFICIAL THE ACT UNDER INFORMATION RELEASED OFFICIAL THE ACT UNDER INFORMATION RELEASED OFFICIAL Northern Busway Extension: Constellation to Orewa Scheme Assessment Report Executive Summary The New Zealand Transport Agency (the NZTA) has engaged Beca Infrastructure Limited (Beca) to investigate an extension of the existing Northern Busway from Constellation Station to a future Hibiscus Coast Busway Station at the Silverdale Interchange (the NBE). The investigation by Beca involved: review and development of previously investigated and new route options for the NBE, to identify a preferred route; identification of land required to accommodate the preferred route; and consideration of station location and operational issues. The investigation responds to the strategic objective of the NZTA to deliver an integrated, safe, responsive, affordable and sustainable public transport solution for North Auckland. The extension has been considered as a dedicated facility, separate to SH1 with associated stations being the responsibility of Auckland Transport and Auckland Council. These parties as well as local Iwi have been engaged thTHEroughout th e pACTroject. Increased population and employment growth is forecast for North Auckland and this will place increasing pressure on the transport network and available land. Current predictions to 2041 show increased SH1 traffic, resulting in congestion and varied travel times for people and goods moving through North Auckland. The need for additional dwellings and places of employment associated with the predicted population growth will require land which may also be necessary for an extension to the Northern Busway. An extension to the Northern Busway would provide UNDERa public transport sol ution to accommodate some of the transport needs of a growing population within North Auckland. The Busway extension is not predicted to result in a significant decrease in traffic on SH1 because the number of people expected to use the bus rather than travelling by car is small in comparison to the overall number of vehicles using SH1. However, the NBE would improve travel times for people travelling by bus in the future. To ensure an extension to the Northern BuswayINFORMATION can be built in the future there is a need to allocate land for this purpose. This can best be achieved by introducing a new designation for Busway purposes and purchasing required land. It is recommended that the land purchase initially focus on properties where there is likely to be an increase in land value (as a result of population growth placing pressure on available land) and/or where negotiations with laRELEASEDnd owners may require significan t time. Through investigation and evaluation an eastern aligned option has been identified, and is recommended for the future extension of the Northern Busway. Being aligned to the east of SH1 the option: i avoids a sOFFICIALite of ecological significance at the Lucas Creek West Bush (located just north of the Oteha Valley Road Interchange to the west of SH1) providing for the protection of the environment; i provides the greatest flexibility for future State Highway improvement projects; i provides a bus only road link across SH1 to serve the Albany Station, enabling this station to support the future growth of the Albany Centre; and i is cheaper to construct as it avoids the need to construct one or more major structures across SH1. Status Draft - Rev B 9 February 2012 Document Reference No. NZ1-5204126-NBE - Scheme Assessment Report (0).docm Page ii Northern Busway Extension: Constellation to Orewa Scheme Assessment Report Based on economic investigations, the full NBE would likely be economically justified as early as 2019. Should the NBE be constructed in stages, a first stage from Constellation Station to Albany Station could be economically justified as early as 2015. The construction of the Busway during the indicated years would support the growth of the Albany Metropolitan Centre, Silverdale and Orewa in accordance with the emerging strategic direction for growth in Auckland. The analysis undertaken as part of this project demonstrates that there is little benefit in providing bus shoulder lanes to Silverdale or incrementally. However, the case for bus shoulder lanes should be considered further when the project proceeds to preliminary design, and better information is available as to the associated costs and the effects on the network following completion of other projects (i.e. SH1 to State Highway 18 connection, Constellation to Greville improvements, SH1 to State Highway 17 connection and Penlink). Prior to confirming the preferred option for a future extension of the Northern Busway and setting aside land for this purpose, it is recommended that NZTA undertake further consultationTHE with Auckla nd ACTCouncil, Auckland Transport and Hokai Nuku, in addition to initiating consultation with other Stakeholders, such as Watercare, and the community. ` UNDER INFORMATION RELEASED OFFICIAL Status Draft - Rev B 9 February 2012 Document Reference No. NZ1-5204126-NBE - Scheme Assessment Report (0).docm Page iii Northern Busway Extension: Constellation to Orewa Scheme Assessment Report Contents Executive Summary .......................................................................................................................................... ii Contents ........................................................................................................................................................ iv Appendices .................................................................................................................................................. viii Glossary of Abbreviations ................................................................................................................................ 9 Glossary of Terms .......................................................................................................................................... 11 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Project Objectives .......................................................................THE.................. .....ACT.......................... 2 1.2 Project Scope ............................................................................................................................... 2 1.3 Project Investigation Process ........................................................................................................ 3 2. Existing Environment ............................................................................................................................. 6 2.1 Silverdale Interchange to Oteha Valley RoUNDERad Interchange........... .................................................... 6 2.2 Oteha Valley Road Interchange to Upper Harbour Highway Interchange ....................................... 13 3. Current Transport Conditions .............................................................................................................. 18 3.1 Overview ........................................INFORMATION.................................................................. .......................... 18 3.2 Traffic Flows .............................................................................................................................. 19 3.3 Traffic Speeds and Delays .......................................................................................................... 19 3.4 TrafficRELEASED Levels of Service ........................ ...................................................................................... 20 3.5 Traffic Volume to Capacity Ratios ............................................................................................... 20 3.6 Bus PaOFFICIALtronage ............................. ............................................................................................... 21 3.7 Bus Operations .......................................................................................................................... 21 3.7 Busway Maintenance .................................................................................................................. 23 3.8 Crash History ............................................................................................................................. 23 4. Future Strategic Issues and Transport Conditions ................................................................................. 25 4.1 Overview .................................................................................................................................... 25 Status Draft - Rev B 9 February 2012 Document Reference No. NZ1-5204126-NBE - Scheme Assessment Report (0).docm Page iv Northern Busway Extension: Constellation to Orewa Scheme Assessment Report 4.2 Strategic Planning ...................................................................................................................... 25 4.3 Future Transport Conditions ...................................................................................................... 27 4.4 Land Use Pressures ...................................................................................................................