Northwestern Cycleway, Cycling path in Auckland, New Zealand
The Northwestern Cycleway is a 12 km mostly off-road cycle route linking Auckland CBD with Westgate, running alongside State Highway 16 for most of its length. It passes the St Lukes Road, Great North Road and Te Atatū intersections, where daily user counts reached about 800, 750 and 650 respectively in March 2013.
The original path was built by Waitakere City Council and Auckland City Council on land leased from Transit New Zealand, initially linking Te Atatū to Waterview. In the early 2000s it was extended 5 km east towards the city, with a new overbridge over Great North Road completed in 2004. In 2009–2010 the NZ Transport Agency built a missing 1.2 km section in Kingsland, opened in April 2010.
The route is used by about 800 cyclists daily at the St Lukes Road crossing, roughly 750 at Great North Road and 650 at Te Atatū, counts taken in March 2013. At St Lukes Road this was 70% growth since regular counting began in 2007. The Great North Road overbridge won "Best cycle facility project" at the 2004 CAN Cycle Friendly Awards.
The route runs beside State Highway 16 for most of its 12 km, so expect motorway noise and, on the low-lying causeway, occasional flooding. The 2009–2010 Kingsland section added five access points and noise walls, removing the hilly residential detour cyclists previously had to take. Counts at St Lukes Road reached about 800 users daily in March 2013.
The Great North Road overbridge, finished in 2004, won "Best cycle facility project" at that year's CAN Cycle Friendly Awards. The Kingsland section opened in April 2010 at a cost of $3.7m for about 1.2 km, with five new access points and noise walls for residents.
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