KEY POINTS:
Contractors will today begin setting up for $2.5 million of improvements to Auckland's busy downtown ferry terminal, including a widened walkway between its two main passenger piers.
Piles will be driven for a new footbridge to widen the existing covered promenade, a chokepoint for passengers bustling past outdoor restaurant tables, by about 3m into the harbour.
Although the extension will be uncovered, the Auckland Regional Transport Authority will also build a new canopy to keep passengers dry as they walk between the Ferry Building and the Pier 2 terminal building, which services the Waiheke ferries.
That work - which is expected to be completed by the end of June at a cost of about $500,000 - will run with $2 million of essential structural repairs to the undersides of Piers 1 and 2 likely to take up to 12 months.
Transport authority chief executive Fergus Gammie said the work was needed to protect the century-old wharves on which the terminal is built. It follows an $11 million upgrade several years ago of the main terminal building on Pier 1, which serves North Shore and other ferry services.
Almost four million passenger trips are made each year on nine commuter ferry services on the Waitemata Harbour, which all converge on the downtown facility.
Mr Gammie said access to parts of Pier 2 would be restricted during the work, as would passage for short periods through the Ferry Building promenade.
Other changes would include the temporary relocation of Birkenhead and Half Moon Bay ferry services from berth 1A to other berths, and the removal of car, bicycle and motorcycle parking from Pier 2 to alternative facilities near Pier 1.
Mr Gammie said the transport authority would work closely with its contractors to ensure minimal inconvenience to ferry users and other "stakeholders".
These include the Cin Cin on Quay restaurant and Valentino's Gelato, both of which have outdoor tables on the promenade.
Although a schedule of normal working hours covers seven days a week, including 6am to 6.30pm on weekdays and 7am to 5.30pm on Sundays, Mr Gammie said some underside repair operations might have to be carried out at other times in accordance with the tides.
