Central Connector to open ahead of schedule

Project nears completion: Auckland City Council's most significant transport project, since the completion of Britomart, will be finished three months ahead of schedule.

From City Scene, published on 16 August, 2009.

The Central Connector - Auckland City Council's most significant transport project since the completion of Britomart - will be finished in October, three months ahead of schedule. The $43 million bus corridor will provide 65,000 Aucklanders each weekday with quicker, more reliable bus travel between Newmarket, the CBD and other key locations throughout the city.

The early completion comes at a perfect time - the Auckland Regional Transport Authority recently released figures that show public transport patronage for the year to 30 June 2009 reached 58.6 million trips. This is a 7.7 per cent increase on the previous year and the highest level of public transport use in Auckland since the mid 1980s.

Some bus services will begin using the route immediately with more to be added in early 2010. It is expected that the bus lanes will reach full capacity by February 2010.

"This project responds to the clear public demand to make public transport in our city as efficient and easy to use as possible," says Mayor of Auckland city, Hon. John Banks.

"However, the Central Connector will not just directly improve bus times for people who use the route - it is also a key part of an ongoing, integrated plan to improve public transport options and linkages throughout the city."

An important part of the Central Connector project is the $6.9 million re-strengthening of Grafton Bridge to bring it up to modern transport and environmental standards. The bridge was scheduled to be closed until early 2010 but will now also re-open in October 2009.

As well as improved public transport, the Central Connector project has provided new landscaping, planting, footpaths, street furniture and shared cycle lanes.