Auckland Harbour Bridge. Photo / Michael Craig
Work on the second Auckland harbour crossing could begin within seven years and follow hard on the heels of the $14.6 billion light rail project.
Minister of Transport Michael Wood said the harbour crossing was a critical piece of infrastructure and “we have brought forward the planning from the 2040s to the 2030s and even further.
“There is a need to get on with the work because of the ongoing growth [in Auckland and neighbouring regions]. The existing harbour bridge still has a long life ahead but it does face resilience issues.”
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency has just put the Waitematā Harbour Connections project out for public consultation and a series of community meetings will be held over the next three weeks to hear people’s preferences — whether it be a second bridge or tunnel(s).
Wood said the project team wants to understand Aucklanders’ aspirations for a future crossing and the type of transport modes.
“We haven’t predetermined whether it will be a bridge or tunnel. This study will look at future options for people wanting to drive, walk, cycle, transport freight, take the bus or perhaps travel by light rail across the Waitematā Harbour.
“Should people want to cycle or walk, then this can’t be done in a tunnel and only on a bridge. We are not ruling out anything and we need to hear from the public and make an informed decision on a transformational project.”
Another round of public consultation will take place early next year when further information is shared on possible solutions and specific options.
Wood said a decision on the preferred option will be made by the middle of next year — and the process will then be accelerated.
“A lot of detailed planning will need to take place and a full business case will be completed in early 2024. I’d like to think work can start in the late 2020s.”
Back in 2008, Auckland Transport published the Waitematā Crossing study that identified the preferred option for delivering safe, responsive and sustainable cross-harbour travel between North Shore and the Auckland Isthmus.
The option that long ago was to extend the suburban electric rail network and State Highway 1 beneath the seabed in tunnels, with an underground station at Wynyard Quarter — two tunnels for trains and two for the motorway east of the Harbour Bridge.
Auckland Light Rail has been re-organised as a Crown Entity Company chaired by Dame Fran Wilde and is set to become the country’s largest transport infrastructure project.
“We are moving forward at pace,” said Wood. “We will get into the consenting stage and initial works should begin next year to get the project ready to go.”
Two alliance partners have been named to plan and design the next phases of the two big projects. Canadian environmental consulting company WSP, Australian engineering consultant SYSTRA, Beca and Cox Architecture are handling the Waitematā crossing.
Melbourne-based Aurecon and London-based Arup Group — both global engineering and design consultants — are putting the final touches to the light rail plan. The 24km-long light rail is expected to take six to seven years to build.
The Government is determined to link a rapid transit system down the spine of Auckland from the airport at Māngere, through the CBD and across the Waitematā Harbour to Northcote and beyond.
The system will also link up with the Northern Busway and most probably a similar rapid transit project along the north west corridor to Kumeu. The first stage of the Eastern Busway connecting Botany Town Centre and Pakuranga with the Panmure rail station is also completed.
“Our largest city needs an integrated, multi-modal rapid transit transport network that will serve Aucklanders into the future, making it faster to move through the city, connecting communities, and providing greater access to businesses, all the while reducing congestion and lowering carbon emissions,” said Wood.
The Government is pushing through a record pipeline of transport infrastructure projects, investing $8.7b in rail, public transport, walking and cycling, and safer roads under the New Zealand Upgrade Programme, managed by Waka Kotahi and KiwiRail. There’s also $4.5b a year available in the National Land Transport Fund.
“We are catching up with historical under-investment that goes back 30 to 40 years. It’s a huge amount of investment to get to where we should be,” said Wood.
“We are planning for mass rapid transport in Auckland, as well as Wellington and Christchurch.
“Mayor Robbie’s rapid rail plan was rejected by the then government in the 1970s and Auckland has suffered from that.”
Wood said the transport projects are targeted towards different modes of travel, decarbonisation and getting to net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
“Every tonne of freight we shift from the road to rail represents a significant reduction in carbon emissions. To do this, we need a resilient, reliable rail network which has multiple benefits — there’s less wear and tear on the roads, improved safety and decarbonisation.”
A third main rail line is being built between Wiri and Quay Park to separate freight from passenger trains on Auckland’s metro network. A long-awaited rail spur will connect Marsden Point and Northport with Whangārei. The Papakura to Pukekohe line will be electrified.
Ashburton’s historic rail container terminal in the centre of town is being moved 5km north and the new Fairfield Hub will handle triple more freight. The Hamilton Ruakura and Manawatu Bunnythorpe inland ports will become major North Island freight hubs for road and rail connections.
Major roading projects currently in play include the Penlink expressway to Whangaparaoa Peninsula north of Auckland; Papakura to Drury State Highway 1 expansion; and Takitimu North Link out of Tauranga.
Waka Kotahi is managing the Manawatū Tararua Highway that replaces the closed Manawatu Gorge road, and the Mt Messenger Bypass on the way to and from New Plymouth.
“The investment in transport infrastructure over the next five to 10 years is the biggest seen in this country,” said Wood.
A potential low-system is set to form on the northeast coast of New Zealand.