Vaughans Road, Okura – Safety Improvements and Proposed Reopening

Since the public engagement of the proposed opening of Vaughans Road, the project team have been working on reviewing the feedback and valuable insights that were provided by the community in the engagement period.

There were several key themes presented to us in the public feedback, and largely the public sentiment leaned in favour of the road opening.

• Many of those who contributed feedback were in favour of spending the current allocated budget and opening the road by June 2026
• Others were in favour of finding more budget to allocate to provide more comprehensive upgrades, even if that meant waiting longer

Two themes that were raised by many in the consultation prompted further investigation.

1. The road pavement strength
2. Pedestrian Safety

The road pavement strength – has been raised as a concern by the community. The AT Maintenance team agree this will be even more of a risk if the road is opened prior to the planned upgrade for the East Coast Road and Glenvar Road intersection. This would lead to increased traffic on Vaughans Road during the works – significant pavement failure could result. If the road pavement fails, we would need to close Vaughans Road again. There is not enough money in the current budget to address this road pavement strength.

Pedestrian safety was a key factor for many who opposed the opening of the road. While addressing the issue of road pavement strength, ideally it would be of benefit to the community to investigate the opportunity to provide segregation for pedestrians and vehicles at least in key locations along this corridor.

The outcome:

AT will not be proceeding with the planned works on Vaughans Road. The level of mitigation required for the safe operation of opening this link is beyond the approximately $2.6-$3m budget.

AT will proceed with

• Intersection upgrades of Vaughans and Okura River Road, (we are currently investigating a roundabout) This is planned for delivery before June 2026.
• Intersection improvements at Okura River Road and East Coast Road. This is also planned for delivery before June 2026.
• Seeking further funding for the further upgrades of the Vaughans/Okura River Road link

The project team are now preparing an application to Auckland Transport’s Investment Committee for the investigation and design of pavement upgrades, with the goal of securing funding to cover:

• widening of Vaughans Road to include 6m carriageway and 0.5m shoulder
• pavement strengthening of Vaughans Road
• provision of a facility that segregates pedestrians from vehicles

AT would like to thank those members of the community who provided valuable insight during the engagement period. The community voice will be included in the application for further funding, to support the case for further investment. We will continue to keep you updated as we work through the plans for the intersection improvements, and the funding application.

We will provide a response to the feedback that we have received and share this information on the website for everyone who has contributed during the engagement phase.

We will share the plans of the intersection improvements for Vaughans/Okura River Road and East Coast Road/Okura River Road, when they are completed.

About the project and background

You can read more about the background and previous updates on the AT website.

We were considering localised widening and safety improvements along key sections of Vaughans Road.

The proposed upgrades were grouped into five locations/sites:

Site 1: Intersection of Okura River Road and East Coast Road

• Extension of existing flush median on East Coast Road in the north bound direction to provide more room for vehicles to safely turn right out of Okura River Road and merge with traffic.

Site 2: Intersection of Vaughans Road and Okura River Road

• Changing the priority of the intersection from Okura River Road to Vaughans Road and placing the giveway control on Okura River Road at the intersection.

Site 3: 12 Vaughans Rd - 66 Vaughans Rd (Sheet 2 - 5)

• Widening the road to enable safe two-way traffic flow
• Adding clear road markings (new flush median/flush road markings) to help keep cars apart when going over hills and around curves
• Fixing worn out areas for a smoother, safer, more reliable driving surface

Site 4: 78 - 96 Vaughans Rd (Sheet 6)

• Widening the road to enable safe two-way traffic flow
• Adding clear road markings (new flush median/flush road markings) to help keep cars apart when going over hills and around curves
• Fixing worn out areas for a smoother, safer, more reliable driving surface
• New retaining wall to support the land so the road can be made wider

Site 5: 116–159 Vaughans Road (Sheet 7 - 9)

• Raising existing road levels to improve visibility over hills
• Two new passing bays so opposing drivers can safely pass each other on narrower sections
• Fixing worn out areas for a smoother, safer, more reliable driving surface

Site 6: 175 - 189 Vaughans Road (Sheet 10 -11)

• Widening the road to enable safe two-way traffic flow
• Adding clear road markings (new flush median/flush road markings) to help keep cars apart when going around bends
• Raising existing road levels to improve visibility over hills
• Fixing worn out areas for a smoother, safer, more reliable driving surface
• Removal of bollards and reinstatement of berm at temporary road closure

For more information please view the full designs under the heading Documents.

Click here to view a drawing of the original changes

• Intersection upgrades of Vaughans and Okura River Road, (we are currently investigating a roundabout) This is planned for delivery before June 2026.
• Intersection improvements at Okura River Road and East Coast Road. This is also planned for delivery before June 2026
• Seeking further funding for the further upgrades of the Vaughans/Okura River Road link

The project team are now preparing an application to Auckland Transport’s Investment Committee for the investigation and design of pavement upgrades, with the goal of securing funding to cover:

• widening of Vaughans Rd to include 6m carriageway and 0.5m shoulder
• pavement strengthening of Vaughans Rd
• provision of a facility that segregates pedestrians from vehicles

AT would like to thank those members of the community who provided valuable insight during the engagement period. The community voice will be included in the application for further funding, to support the case for further investment. We will continue to keep you updated as we work through the plans for the intersection improvements, and the funding application.

We will provide a response to the feedback that we have received and share this information on the website for everyone who has contributed during the engagement phase.

We will share the plans of the intersection improvements for Vaughans/Okura River Road and East Coast Road/Okura River Road, when they are completed.