Rebuilding Franklin Road from the underground up
Franklin Road may be one of thousands of streets, but it’s an important one. It has iconic heritage buildings, hundred-year-old London plane trees, and a critical connector to Auckland’s central business district. Hundreds of people flock to see its famous Christmas lights every year.
But it was worn out and unsafe: the infrastructure was aged, and the road and footpath were in a terrible state, with tree roots creating hazards for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers. It had to be rebuilt from the underground up, so Auckland Transport called on us. They needed a high-quality built environment with dedicated walking and cycling facilities as well as a new separated stormwater pipeline to reduce wastewater overflows to the harbor.
A first for Auckland, our detailed design reconfigured the corridor, adding Copenhagen-style cycle lanes, re-routing buses, upgrading utility services, and enhancing the sense of place through protecting the root systems of the London Plane trees, rationalising parking, and adding high quality hardscape materials. Also, our significant involvement in the stakeholder engagement process ensured there was a community liaison group for residents, businesses, and users to have their say.
We provided input into applications for heritage consents and stormwater approvals, and as engineer’s representative, we were responsible for providing technical support during construction.
With these upgrades, Franklin Road is now a lot safer and more pleasant for everyone in the area.
Nick Gluyas, ANZ Sector Leader, Transport Delivery
In my role, I get to apply my technical skills every day, but I’m also able to contribute strategically at a regional level.
Kirstie Thorpe, Senior Principal Landscape Architect & Urban Design/Team Lead, Landscape & Urban Design
I weave threads of landscape together and incorporate their values into infrastructure projects.
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