State Highway 16 (New Zealand)

State Highway 16 shield}}
State Highway 16
Twin Coast Discovery Highway
Empty northwestern motorway during coronavirus lockdown.jpg
SH16 viewed from the Te Atatu Road overbridge during New Zealand's COVID-19 lockdown
Route information
Maintained by NZ Transport Agency
Length108 km (67 mi)
Tourist
routes
Twin Coast Discovery Highway
Major junctions
Southeast endPort of Auckland
Major intersections SH 1 south (Auckland Southern Motorway) at Central Motorway Junction
SH 1 north (Auckland Northern Motorway) at Central Motorway Junction
SH 20 (Southwestern Motorway) at Waterview
SH 18 (Upper Harbour Motorway) at West Harbour
Northwest end SH 1 (Rodney Street) at Wellsford
Location
CountryNew Zealand
Primary
destinations
Auckland, Helensville, Wellsford
Highway system
SH 15 SH 17

State Highway 16 (SH 16) is a New Zealand state highway linking central Auckland with Wellsford, via Auckland's Northwestern Motorway, Helensville and Kaukapakapa. It provides an alternative to SH 1 for traffic travelling between Auckland and parts of Northland from Wellsford northwards.

Within the Auckland metropolitan area, SH 16 mostly runs along the Northwestern Motorway, the major exception being the first 2 km between the Port of Auckland and the Central Motorway Junction. Outside the Auckland metropolitan area, SH 16 is a single carriageway with at-grade intersections.

Route

[edit]

SH 16 begins in Central Auckland at the corner of The Strand, Tamaki Drive and Quay Street, directly opposite the Port of Auckland. It travels south via The Strand where it reaches the lights at Beach Road and Parnell Rise where it changes to Stanley Street. After one more set of lights at Alten Road, SH 16 becomes coextensive with the Auckland Northwestern Motorway. The highway travels through the Central Motorway Junction where there are exits to SH 1 both northbound and southbound. It then runs west and forms a junction with SH 20 and then continues to West Auckland over a causeway crossing Traherne Island and the Whau Estuary. SH 16 then passes through West Auckland and past the junction with SH 18 (Upper Harbour Motorway) where it can be accessed by northbound traffic. The Northwestern Motorway terminates at a roundabout with Brigham Creek Road and Fred Taylor Drive. From here SH 16 reverts to single carriage road. It passes through the communities of Kumeū, Huapai, Waimauku and Helensville, eventually reaching the west coast. From there on SH 16 skirts the Kaipara Harbour along the Kaipara Coast Highway, eventually bearing northeast to meet SH 1 at Wellsford, where it terminates.[1][unreliable source?][when?]

Route changes

[edit]

SH 16 north of Helensville to Wellsford was temporarily revoked in 1994. It was reinstated in 1997.[2][3]

Major intersections

[edit]

Refer to Northwestern Motorway for a complete list of motorway intersections
The entire route is within Auckland.

LocationkmmiExitNameDestinationsNotes
Port of Auckland00.0Quay Street/Tamaki DriveSH 1 begins
Parnell10.62Parnell Rise
Beach Road
Nicholls Lane
Alten Road
SH 16 becomes Northwestern Motorway
Auckland CBD21.2 SH 1 south (Auckland Southern Motorway)/Thermal Explorer HighwayManukau, HamiltonWestbound exit and eastbound entrance
31.9 SH 1 north (Auckland Northern Motorway)/Twin Coast Discovery HighwayNorth Shore, WhangāreiWestbound exit and eastbound entrance
42.5 SH 1 south (Auckland Southern Motorway)/Thermal Explorer Highway – Manukau, HamiltonEastbound exit and westbound entrance
SH 1 north (Auckland Northern Motorway)/Twin Coast Discovery Highway – North Shore, WhangāreiEastbound exit and westbound entrance
Twin Coast Discovery Highway concurrency begins
Waterview85.0 SH 20 south (Southwestern Motorway)Waterview Connection
Westgate1912 SH 18 east (Upper Harbour Motorway) – North ShoreNorthbound exit and southbound entrance
Whenuapai2214Fred Taylor Drive
Brigham Creek Road (and SH 18)
Northwestern Motorway ends
Kumeū2314Coatesville-Riverhead Highway (Regional Route 28) – Riverhead, AlbanyFormer route for SH 18
Helensville4830Parkhurst Road – Parakai, South Kaipara Head
Wellsford10867 SH 1 north (Rodney Street)/Twin Coast Discovery Hwy North – Whangārei, Kaitaia
SH 1 south (Rodney Street)/Thermal Explorer Highway South – Warkworth, Auckland
SH 16 ends
Twin Coast Discovery Highway concurrency ends

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ State Highway 16 on Google Maps
  2. ^ "Traffic Volumes 1994" (PDF).
  3. ^ "Traffic Volumes 1997" (PDF).