Auckland International Airport : Airport delivering new journeys for travellers in 2021

Auckland Airport has started the new year by recommencing work on an important new road that will ensure an efficient exit from the international terminal precinct for travellers and deliver a robust transport network to meet future demand.

The road construction will complete a one-way loop from George Bolt Memorial Drive to the international terminal and exiting northwards back onto George Bolt Memorial Drive, the main road linking the airport to the central city.

Auckland Airport is completing this project while passenger volumes are reduced by COVID-19, as part of plans to deliver safety-critical works and key infrastructure.

André Lovatt, General Manager Infrastructure, said the new road was a key part of the Northern Network Project, making sure the airport's transport connections would be robust enough to handle future growth.

'While we're constantly updating and improving our existing roading network, it's exciting that this project will mark a completely new journey for travellers - we're building a road where there wasn't one before. Once you've driven past the international terminal, you will now reconnect on the road back to the city at Manu Tapu Drive, further north.

'This one-way loop will help the airport's entire transport system with a reliable flow of traffic,' said Mr Lovatt.

Auckland Airport is completing this project while passenger volumes are reduced by COVID-19, as part of plans to deliver safety-critical works and key infrastructure.

'When COVID-19 hit the aviation sector, we made the decision to put some development projects on hold. Our teams worked hard to ensure existing investment in these projects was preserved and protected. When we return to this infrastructure work, we're focussing first on safety, asset renewal and maintenance and then on enhanced aeronautical capacity.

'Preparatory work and some underground utilities for this new road were already in place when COVID-19 arrived.'

Two gantries, which will display wayfinding signage, were installed over the 890-metre long road in October.

'We're continuing our upgrade work on George Bolt Memorial Drive, where we're installing new services and utilities and widening the road to deliver high-occupancy vehicle lanes alongside shared pedestrian and cycle paths,' said Mr Lovatt.

The one-way loop road is scheduled to come into use mid-2021, at the same time as the new northbound lanes of George Bolt Memorial Drive are completed and made available for travellers' use. Mr Lovatt said the completion of the road is also a critical enabler of other major works at the heart of Auckland Airport.

'When this project is completed, it opens the possibility of working on the international terminal, the pick-up/drop-off zone and carparks. This road creates the space for these projects to get underway.

'With the road being built on land that is not currently part of the airport's roading network, we anticipate the construction project causing minimal disruption for travellers and traffic around the airport precinct.'