Onerahi Causeway facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Onerahi Causeway |
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 Onerahi Causeway
Location of causeway in Northland
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| Coordinates | 35°43′59″S 174°20′51″E / 35.73306°S 174.34750°E |
| Carries | Riverside Drive |
| Crosses | Whangarei Harbour |
| Locale | Whangarei, New Zealand |
| Maintained by | Whangarei District Council |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Causeway |
| Total length | 5km |
| History | |
| Opened | 1953 |
| Statistics | |
| Daily traffic | 20,000 |
The Onerahi Causeway is a special road built over water or wet land. It's located in the Northland Region of New Zealand. This important road connects the suburb of Onerahi to the city of Whangarei. It stretches for about 5 kilometers (3 miles) across the upper Whangarei Harbour. About 20,000 vehicles use the causeway daily on Riverside Drive. This makes it one of the busiest roads in the area!
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Building the Onerahi Causeway
The Onerahi Causeway was built between 1950 and 1953. The Whangarei County Council decided to build it. They needed a better way to connect Whangarei with areas like Onerahi, Parua Bay, Whangarei Heads, and Whangarei Airport.
Before the causeway, the road followed the northern edge of the Whangarei Harbour. This old road had many small, one-lane bridges. These bridges crossed streams like the Awaroa River and Mackesy Stream. You can still see some of the old bridge supports today!
How the Causeway Was Constructed
Building the causeway was a big job. Workers had to drain parts of the harbour, like the area near Kissing Point. They then built up the road surface. This was important to stop the road from flooding during Spring Tides (very high tides). The new road became straight and very flat. Three new bridges were also built as part of the causeway.
The construction also helped bring important services to Onerahi. Things like sewerage and water pipes were laid under the causeway. This meant the old waste treatment works at Onerahi could finally close. The new causeway made travel to Onerahi much easier. Before this, travel was difficult, especially after the Onerahi Branch Railway closed in 1933.
Cycleway Added for Fun
In 2016, a special path for bikes and walkers was added. This cycleway runs along the causeway. Building it meant making the land a bit wider in some places. The cycleway is 6 kilometers long. It connects the Waimahanga Walkway and the Hatea Loop. This path makes it safer for people to walk and cycle from Onerahi to central Whangarei.
The Future of the Causeway
The Onerahi Causeway is a very important road. It's a main route for people living in Onerahi and Whangarei Heads. These areas are growing, so more people use the road every day.
Sometimes, the road gets very busy, especially during peak times. Because of this, there are plans to make the road four lanes wide by 2025. The causeway might also become part of a planned Onerahi Bypass in the future.
The road also needs better foundations. The land it's built on can be quite boggy. This means that potholes and bumps can sometimes appear on the road.
