Cycleway for Auckland's Franklin Rd in major redevelopment

Sunday, 1 May 2016

The annual Christmas lights display where all houses in Franklin Rd are decorated, won't be affected by the construction.

Auckland's most famous road for Christmas lights is in for a major redesign that will keep the busy road under construction until late 2017.

But the annual Christmas lights on Franklin Road in Freemans Bay won't be affected, with Auckland Transport saying they will take a break from construction from November until early January.

The roundabout will go in at the intersection between Wellington St and England St.

AT said the Franklin Rd upgrades were well overdue and came after more than a year of planning and meetings with residents.

The redesign will feature cycle lanes on both sides of the road, which will be painted green and raised about 5cm above the road surface.

A graphic showing the raised cycle lanes on Franklin Rd.

A roundabout is going in at the Wellington St intersection to calm traffic.

Footpaths were set to be torn up and replaced, while street lights, utilities and drainage were being upgraded.

AT said there was a big focus on the tree-lined road because it was a key connection between the city and Ponsonby Rd, with more than 14,000 vehicle trips per day.

Group manager of roading Andrew Scoggins said it was in a 'poor condition' with safety hazards for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers.

'Over the years tree roots have damaged footpaths, the drainage system and the road surface,' he said.

Scoggins said the plan was to schedule all infrastructure work to run at the same time with Watercare, Vector, Chorus and Auckland Council Stormwater working together.

Some on-road parking spaces were due to be lost in the new design, though Scoggins said that was minimal.

Franklin Rd resident Bill Ralston said it was a much needed upgrade.

Ralston, the former TVNZ news boss who is running for council in the central Waitemata ward, said there was a good compromise with the designs of the cycleway and roundabout.

'All in all it's been a good effort by Auckland Transport,' he said.

'They've managed to come up with a solution that will keep pretty much everyone happy.'

Ralston said it would be worth the disruptions to see the road fixed.

'It's work that's got to be done. I'm sure it will slow down traffic and locals coming in and out but if it's got to be done it's got to be done.

Fellow Franklin Rd resident and art commentator Hamish Keith said he was glad something was being done, but was unhappy the speed limit wasn't reduced to 40kmh.

'Pedestrians are still bottom of the food chain,' he said.

'It's a very unsafe road to cross.

'At night if I'm going to visit neighbours I wear a high-vis jacket to cross the road.'

Cycle group Bike Auckland, which had lobbied for a dedicated cycleway, described the plans as a 'frankly great design'.

The first stage of work was starting in May and would be finished by mid-to-late 2017, AT said.

Residents were urged to lodge any feedback on the plans by May 10.