State Highway 16 (New Zealand)
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State Highway 16 | ||||
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| Twin Coast Discovery Highway | ||||
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 SH16 viewed from the Te Atatu Road overbridge during New Zealand's COVID-19 lockdown | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by NZ Transport Agency | ||||
| Length | 108 km (67 mi) | |||
| Tourist routes | Twin Coast Discovery Highway | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| Southeast end | Port of Auckland | |||
 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 | ||||
| Country | New Zealand | |||
| Primary destinations | Auckland, Helensville, Wellsford | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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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
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]
Route changes
SH 16 north of Helensville to Wellsford was temporarily revoked in 1994. It was reinstated in 1997.[2][3]
Major intersections
 | This article contains a bulleted list or table of intersections which should be presented in a properly formatted junction table. |
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Refer to Northwestern Motorway for a complete list of motorway intersections
The entire route is within Auckland.
| Location | km | mi | Exit | Name | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Port of Auckland | 0 | 0.0 | Quay Street/Tamaki Drive | SH 1 begins | ||
| Parnell | 1 | 0.62 | Parnell Rise Beach Road | |||
| Nicholls Lane Alten Road | SH 16 becomes Northwestern Motorway | |||||
| Auckland CBD | 2 | 1.2 | SH 1 south (Auckland Southern Motorway)/Thermal Explorer Highway – Manukau, Hamilton | Westbound exit and eastbound entrance | ||
| 3 | 1.9 | SH 1 north (Auckland Northern Motorway)/Twin Coast Discovery Highway – North Shore, Whangārei | Westbound exit and eastbound entrance | |||
| 4 | 2.5 | SH 1 south (Auckland Southern Motorway)/Thermal Explorer Highway – Manukau, Hamilton | Eastbound exit and westbound entrance | |||
| SH 1 north (Auckland Northern Motorway)/Twin Coast Discovery Highway – North Shore, Whangārei | Eastbound exit and westbound entrance Twin Coast Discovery Highway concurrency begins | |||||
| Waterview | 8 | 5.0 | SH 20 south (Southwestern Motorway) | Waterview Connection | ||
| Westgate | 19 | 12 | SH 18 east (Upper Harbour Motorway) – North Shore | Northbound exit and southbound entrance | ||
| Whenuapai | 22 | 14 | Fred Taylor Drive Brigham Creek Road (and SH 18) | Northwestern Motorway ends | ||
| Kumeū | 23 | 14 | Coatesville-Riverhead Highway (Regional Route 28) – Riverhead, Albany | Former route for SH 18 | ||
| Helensville | 48 | 30 | Parkhurst Road – Parakai, South Kaipara Head | |||
| Wellsford | 108 | 67 | 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 | ||
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