Southeast end: Port of Auckland Length 108 km | Northwest end: SH 1 at Wellsford | |
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Tourist
routes: Twin Coast Discovery Highway Primary
destinations: Auckland, Helensville, Wellsford | ||
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 State Highway 1 for traffic travelling between Auckland and parts of Northland from Wellsford northwards.
Contents
Map of SH 16, Auckland, New Zealand
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 single carriageway with at-grade intersections.
Route
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 the Auckland Northwestern Motorway. The highway travels through the Central Motorway Junction where there are exits to SH 1 both northbound and southbound. The motorway travels west from central Auckland 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 the roundabout with Brigham Creek Road and Fred Taylor Drive. From here SH 16 reverts to single carriage road. It passes through the communities of Kumeu and Huapai, two areas of significant growth. SH 16 reaches the town of Helensville not long after. From here on SH 16 skirts the Kaipara Harbour on a narrow windy road, eventually returning to meet SH 1 at Wellsford where it terminates.
Route changes
SH 16 north of Helensville to Wellsford was temporarily revoked in 1994. It was reinstated in 1997.
Major intersections
Refer to Northwestern Motorway for a complete list of motorway intersections