Hill Street, Warkworth - Intersection Improvements
About the project
Auckland Transport is planning to make the complex and confusing Hill Street intersection safer and easier to use
The Hill Street intersection in Warkworth needs improvements to make it safer and easier to use. We need to include safe walking and cycling facilities to create a welcoming connection for everyone to the Warkworth town centre.
The intersection of the old SH1 (Brown Road) and Matakana Road, Elizabeth Street, Millstream Place, Sandspit Road and access to Kowhai Park, the Hill Street intersection has been a traffic bottleneck for decades. Locals and holiday makers travelling between Auckland, Northland and the Kowhai Coast experienced major traffic congestion during week-day peak hours, weekends and public holidays.
Since the opening of Ara Tūhono – Pūhoi to Warkworth motorway and Te Honohono ki Tai (Matakana Link Road) in June 2023, traffic volumes at the Hill Street intersection have dropped by 50%. Additional future transport connections like the Sandspit Link will help cater for increases in traffic as the area grows in population and popularity.
What we're proposing
We’re planning to make the Hill Street intersection safer and easier to navigate
Auckland Transport is finalising a new design for the Hill Street Intersection to:
Improve traffic flow
Provide safer and easier ways to get around on foot or by bike
Introduce an attractive gateway to the Warkworth town centre
Provide better access to active and public transport options
Plan for future growth.
We’ve talked with key stakeholders (affected property owners, local iwi, the Rodney Local Board, Auckland Council Parks and representatives from the One Mahurangi Transport and Infrastructure Forum), tweaked our plans and would now like feedback from the local community and visitors to the area.
Preferred design option
An improved Hill Street intersection will make it easier to get around Warkworth safely
The preferred design option:
The preferred design option includes the following features:
A large five-arm roundabout at the Hill Street intersection
A smaller three-arm roundabout through the Sandspit Road and Matakana Road intersection
Single lane approaches to provide better legibility and safety for all users
A free left-turn lane from Sandspit Road to Elizabeth Street
Better and safer cycling and walking facilities
Safer (raised dual) pedestrian crossings on Hill Street, Great North Road, Brown Road, Elizabeth Street and Sandspit Road
Boardwalks on the Kowhai Park side of Sandspit Road and at the corner of Elizabeth Street.
E pīrangi ana mātou ki te rongo i ō whakaaro - We want to hear from you
Auckland Transport is consulting on this proposal from 17 November 2023 until 4pm, 17 December 2023
Share your thoughts by:
Using the feedback form below
Coming along to an information drop-in session at the Warkworth Town Hall on
Saturday, 25 November at 12:30-2pm
Tuesday, 28 November at 12:30-2pm
Next Steps
We will use all feedback received to inform the Hill Street intersection improvements detailed design. Once the design is confirmed we will share it on this web page.
Auckland Transport is planning to make the complex and confusing Hill Street intersection safer and easier to use
The Hill Street intersection in Warkworth needs improvements to make it safer and easier to use. We need to include safe walking and cycling facilities to create a welcoming connection for everyone to the Warkworth town centre.
The intersection of the old SH1 (Brown Road) and Matakana Road, Elizabeth Street, Millstream Place, Sandspit Road and access to Kowhai Park, the Hill Street intersection has been a traffic bottleneck for decades. Locals and holiday makers travelling between Auckland, Northland and the Kowhai Coast experienced major traffic congestion during week-day peak hours, weekends and public holidays.
Since the opening of Ara Tūhono – Pūhoi to Warkworth motorway and Te Honohono ki Tai (Matakana Link Road) in June 2023, traffic volumes at the Hill Street intersection have dropped by 50%. Additional future transport connections like the Sandspit Link will help cater for increases in traffic as the area grows in population and popularity.
What we're proposing
We’re planning to make the Hill Street intersection safer and easier to navigate
Auckland Transport is finalising a new design for the Hill Street Intersection to:
Improve traffic flow
Provide safer and easier ways to get around on foot or by bike
Introduce an attractive gateway to the Warkworth town centre
Provide better access to active and public transport options
Plan for future growth.
We’ve talked with key stakeholders (affected property owners, local iwi, the Rodney Local Board, Auckland Council Parks and representatives from the One Mahurangi Transport and Infrastructure Forum), tweaked our plans and would now like feedback from the local community and visitors to the area.
Preferred design option
An improved Hill Street intersection will make it easier to get around Warkworth safely
The preferred design option:
The preferred design option includes the following features:
A large five-arm roundabout at the Hill Street intersection
A smaller three-arm roundabout through the Sandspit Road and Matakana Road intersection
Single lane approaches to provide better legibility and safety for all users
A free left-turn lane from Sandspit Road to Elizabeth Street
Better and safer cycling and walking facilities
Safer (raised dual) pedestrian crossings on Hill Street, Great North Road, Brown Road, Elizabeth Street and Sandspit Road
Boardwalks on the Kowhai Park side of Sandspit Road and at the corner of Elizabeth Street.
E pīrangi ana mātou ki te rongo i ō whakaaro - We want to hear from you
Auckland Transport is consulting on this proposal from 17 November 2023 until 4pm, 17 December 2023
Share your thoughts by:
Using the feedback form below
Coming along to an information drop-in session at the Warkworth Town Hall on
Saturday, 25 November at 12:30-2pm
Tuesday, 28 November at 12:30-2pm
Next Steps
We will use all feedback received to inform the Hill Street intersection improvements detailed design. Once the design is confirmed we will share it on this web page.
The Hill Street Intersection Improvement is part of the Corridor Improvements programme (in the RLTP) which aims to improve access and connectivity on strategic and local multi-roads. Warkworth’s future growth areas are expected to have additional 7,300 homes and population to rise from 5,000 to 22,000 by 2048.
While Tupu Ngātahi Supporting Growth is planning a long-term transport network to support Warkworth’s growth, improvements at the Hill Street intersection will complement the planned strategic network. With the opening of the Puhoi to Warkworth motorway and Te Honohono ki tai, much of the state highway traffic bypassed Warkworth, easing the significant pressure at the Hill Street intersection, and traffic becomes more localised.
