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The signing of a $6 million contract for the completion of the Silverdale park and ride (aka Hibiscus Coast busway) is good news for those who use the facility.
Work is expected to begin this month and be completed by December next year.
During the process, there are no planned closures of the existing carparks as Auckland Transport says construction should be able to be completed in the space allocated for the station building.
When it’s finished, there will be 90 more carparks, and a building containing ticket and AT Hop top-up machines, toilets, as well as secure cycle parking and well lit waiting areas protected from the elements.
Construction of the station area began in late 2017, including earthworks, a new stormwater pond and construction of 516 car parks. Originally the plan was to compete the station last July but there were a number of holdups, including legal challenges to the resource consent from neighbours and time spent negotiating a cheap enough deal for the completion work.
After Hibiscus Matters posted the news of the contract signing on social media, on August 22, many commented that they were looking forward to the arrival of AT Hop machines and shelter from the weather. However, the majority said it was not only too late, but too little, and that hundreds more carparks will be needed as the area grows.
The park and ride is the northern terminus of the Northern Express bus services, which connect to eight bus routes, servicing the Hibiscus Coast and Warkworth areas.
Auckland Transport’s executive general manager for integrated networks, Mark Lambert, says the organisation appreciates that there has been some wait for construction of the station building, and thanks customers for their patience.
“The North Shore bus network introduced in September 2018 has been a great success with more people now crossing the harbour bridge in buses rather than cars. Facilities such as this, will only help those numbers increase,” he says.
