NGAURANGA TO AIRPORT STRATEGIC STUDY Technical Report 1: Description of Options Ngauranga to Airport Strategic Study Technical Report One: Description of Options Prepared By Opus International Consultants Limited Wayne Stewart and Tim Selby Wellington Team Leader and Deputy Team Leader Reviewed By Telephone: (04) 471 7000 Sany Zein President - Opus Hamilton (Vancouver) Date: April 2007 Approved By Reference: Wayne Stewart Status: Final © Opus International Consultants Limited 2007 Ngauranga to Airport Strategic Study Technical Report One: Description of Options Contents 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 The Project .......................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Scope and Purpose of Technical Options Report ..................................................................... 1 2 Review of Previous Studies......................................................................................................... 3 2.1 De Leuw Cather 1963 Transport Plan...................................................................................... 3 2.2 R. W. Burrell 1980 – Terrace Tunnel to Mount Victoria Tunnel................................................... 4 2.3 Light Rail Transit Feasibility Study 1995 ................................................................................. 5 2.4 GEHL Architects, Public Spaces and Public Life Study 2004 ................................................... 5 3 Existing Transportation, Modal Mix and Urban Form Issues........................................................ 7 3.1 Overview .............................................................................................................................. 7 3.2 Population and Employment .................................................................................................13 3.3 Trips and Travel Patterns ......................................................................................................19 3.4 Passenger Transport............................................................................................................25 3.5 The Movement of Freight ......................................................................................................27 3.6 Parking...............................................................................................................................28 3.7 Road Safety........................................................................................................................29 3.8 Airport Travel Demand..........................................................................................................30 3.9 Pedestrian Movements.........................................................................................................32 3.10 Cycling...............................................................................................................................35 4 Overall Approach to Strategy Study ...........................................................................................37 4.1 The New Zealand Transport Strategy .....................................................................................37 4.2 Land-Use............................................................................................................................37 4.3 Maximising Capacity ...........................................................................................................39 4.4 Use of Road Space..............................................................................................................39 5 Overview of Options for Passenger Transport ............................................................................43 5.1 Overview .............................................................................................................................43 5.2 Proposed Bus Route Hierarchy .............................................................................................43 6 Description of Passenger Transport Route Options Serving the Growth Nodes..........................45 6.1 Overview .............................................................................................................................45 6.2 Route Selection...................................................................................................................46 6.3 High Quality Stops and Interchanges.....................................................................................57 7 Mode Selection for Passenger Transport Service to Growth Nodes...........................................60 7.1 Overview .............................................................................................................................60 7.2 Passenger Numbers and Urban Form....................................................................................60 7.3 Bus Systems......................................................................................................................64 7.4 Light Rail System................................................................................................................70 7.5 Other People Movers ...........................................................................................................73 April 2007 Ngauranga to Airport Strategic Study Technical Report One: Description of Options 8 Description of other Passenger Transport initiatives..................................................................76 8.1 Overview .............................................................................................................................76 8.2 Extending the Passenger Transport Corridor to the North ........................................................76 8.3 Extending Passenger Transport Corridor to the Airport ............................................................76 8.4 Other Initiatives for Buses.....................................................................................................77 8.5 Other Issues .......................................................................................................................78 9 Description of Heavy Rail Options ..............................................................................................80 9.1 Current Situation .................................................................................................................80 9.2 Option R1: Extending Heavy Rail along Waterfront in a Tunnel.................................................80 10 Overview of Options for General Vehicles..................................................................................82 10.1 Overview .............................................................................................................................82 11 Description of SH1 Ngauranga Interchange to Aotea Quay 8 laning Options .............................84 11.1 Current Situation .................................................................................................................84 11.2 Existing Issues ...................................................................................................................84 11.3 Overview of Options .............................................................................................................84 11.4 Option A1: Utilisation of existing Shoulders as an Additional Traffic Lane..................................85 11.5 Option A2a): Reduced traffic lane and shoulder widths ............................................................86 11.6 Option A2b): Reduced traffic lane, median and shoulder widths................................................87 12 Terrace Tunnel...........................................................................................................................88 12.1 Option T1: Terrace Tunnel Tidal Flow.....................................................................................89 12.2 Option T2: Terrace Tunnel Duplication ...................................................................................90 12.3 Option T3a): Terrace Tunnel Duplication – Additional Single Lane Tunnel ..................................92 12.4 Option T3b: Terrace Tunnel Duplication – Restricted Additional Single Lane Tunnel ...................93 13 Description of Basin Reserve and Mount Victoria Tunnel Options..............................................94 13.1 Current Situation .................................................................................................................94 13.2 Key Issues .........................................................................................................................95 13.3 Overview of Options .............................................................................................................96 13.4 Option B1: Pirie Tunnel ........................................................................................................96 13.5 Option B2: - Paterson Tunnel (Parallel Duplication of Mount Victoria Tunnel).............................99 13.6 Option B3: - Two-way Grade separated Option at the Basin Reserve .....................................102 13.7 Option B4: - One -way Grade-separated Option at the Basin Reserve ....................................107 13.8 Option B5: - One-way At-grade Option for the Basin Reserve ................................................108 14 Description