Skip to main content

Victoria & Albert Street intersection closure Victoria & Albert Street intersection closure

The intersection of Victoria Street and Albert Street will close to vehicle traffic on 27 June 2021 to allow for the City Rail Link project to continue construction of Aotea Station. This marks a significant milestone in the project, as the intersection of Wellesley Street and Albert Street will reopen, following its closure in March 2020.

The Victoria Street / Albert Street intersection will be closed to vehicles until mid-2023 but will always remain open to those walking or cycling.

As part of the project, Auckland Transport is responsible to ensure the city continues moving. This includes changes to several bus routes and for those who drive in the city centre.

For more information on the construction, visit CRL’s website.

Intersection Switch

In March 2020, the intersection of Wellesley Street West, Mayoral Drive and Albert Street closed to traffic. To reduce the impacts of construction on the city centre, Victoria Street West, at the Albert Street intersection, will only close once Wellesley Street West has reopened to traffic.

When the intersection reopens in June, Mayoral Drive near Wellesley Street West will remain closed to vehicles until Aotea Station construction is completed in 2024.

The change of intersection closures, will occur over a few days in late June, to allow for a smooth transition:

Sunday, 27 June Wellesley Street intersection opens to buses only. Bus routes change.

General Traffic continues to use Victoria Street
Monday, 28 June Wellesley Street intersection opens to buses only. Bus routes change.

General Traffic continues to use Victoria Street. Contractors prepare the Victoria Street intersection for closure.
Tuesday, 29 June Wellesley Street intersection opens to buses only. Bus routes change.

General Traffic continues to use Victoria Street. Contractors prepare the Victoria Street intersection for closure.
Wednesday, 30 June The intersection of Victoria and Albert Streets closes to vehicle traffic.

The intersection remains open to those walking and cycling.

When Wellesley Street opens to through traffic from Queen Street, the road layout will be different, based on the needs of public transport changes. This layout was publicly consulted on by Auckland Transport in February 2021.

To find out more about the consultation - https://at.govt.nz/projects-roadworks/bus-infrastructure-changes-to-support-crl-works/

On Wellesley Street West (between Albert & Queen) there will be new and extended bus stops installed on both sides of the road. The road corridor will be narrowed and reconfigured to allow for Double Decker buses & 24/7 bus lanes.

No general traffic will have access travelling westbound from Queen Street to Albert Street. This would extend the existing restrictions for general traffic on Wellesley Street East between Lorne Street and Wellesley Street.

Travel across the city

For those wanting to travel across the city centre, Mayoral Drive will be the best option for general traffic. This avoids most of the construction and road closures caused by the CRL construction.

Motorists can access the section of Albert Street between Victoria Street and Wellesley Street, from the reopened intersection on Wellesley Street West. Vehicle access to this area will always be maintained.

Bus changes

Victoria Street is currently used by several bus routes that travel to or from the city centre. A majority of these bus routes have been using Victoria Street, while the Wellesley Street and Albert Street intersection has been closed.

With Wellesley Street reopening, bus routes will now be able to use the street in its entirety and means that there are 35 bus routes changing within the city centre. These include:

  • The Northern Express service, NX2 to the universities
  • 22 & 24 bus services will return to Wellesley Street
  • The 75 bus route, from Wynyard Quarter to Glen Innes will now travel up Grafton Road, instead of Symonds Street.
  • The InnerLink service, which used Victoria Street from Victoria Park to Queen Street, will now travel along Fanshawe Street.

For more information on these bus routes and others affected, please visit our AT Metro service changes page

Walking, cycling and micro-mobility

The closure only affects vehicle traffic, as pedestrians will still be able to walk through and around the Victoria Street West and Albert Street intersection. Temporary footpaths will be installed to ensure people will still be able to use the intersection on foot. Wayfinding signage will be installed to help people find their way easily. Access by foot will always be maintained to businesses and other buildings.

To maintain accessibility for people with mobility aids, prams or scooters, together with Link Alliance, we will ensure temporary footpaths are step-free. The paths will also be regularly monitored the intersection to make sure it remains accessible for all pedestrians and to further improve accessibility where possible.

If you ride a bike, e-scooter or skateboard through the intersection, you’ll need to walk your wheels along the footpaths. This will help keep the area safe for all users.

Loading Zones

With the upcoming intersection reopening on Wellesley Street, there are changes to the road layout to accommodate the 35 bus routes, and up to 80,000 commuters who are affected by the Victoria/Albert Streets intersection closure. As a result of this there are some changes to loading zones in the area.

During the construction of Aotea Station, the operating hours for the loading zones on Elliott Street and Federal Street will be extended, and available between 6am & 6pm. There are also Loading Zones on Queen Street, near the Wellesley Street intersection that could be a possible option for services and deliveries.

CRL contractor Link Alliance, will provide loading and servicing on Victoria Street between Queen St & Elliott Street and between Federal Street & Hobson Street. This is to replace the similar temporary arrangements that were installed on Wellesley Street in March 2020.

During the construction of Aotea Station, the slip lanes off Albert Street and Durham Lane West will remain accessible throughout. Several the businesses on both Wellesley Street and Victoria Street already have off street loading areas which they access from these slip lanes, and they will be able to continue doing this throughout the construction period.

More information about loading zones across the city, is available in the AT Park app