A proposed second tunnel would run parallel to the existing Mt Victoria tunnel built in 1931 for £132,000. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Wellingtonians could face nearly a decade of disruption from a major transport overhaul involving two new tunnels and sweeping inner-city roading changes.
The public had not been given a delivery date for the project, which is expected to cost $2.9 to $3.8 billion, but the Herald has learnt construction is set to take six to eight years, following three years of preparations.
NZTA and Transport Minister Chris Bishop previously refused to share the timeline, but details of the decade-long project came to light in an NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) briefing to Wellington City councillors.
At a public meeting in Mt Victoria yesterday, Pukehīnau Lambton ward councillor Geordie Rogers told a crowded church hall that residents will likely be impacted by disruption for seven years while construction takes place.
NZTA have since confirmed that following consenting, design, and property acquisitions, “main construction” is planned to start in 2029.
“It is estimated that the project will take approximately 6-8 years to construct,” a spokesman for the agency said.
Rogers, a Green Party councillor, told the Herald the disruption from a decade of preparation and works will make it “incredibly difficult for the city centre to stay alive”.
“The solution to Wellington’s traffic problems are not building more tunnels.”
“The land is incredibly expensive, the disruption will be massive and there are far easier solutions on the table. like congestion charging or improving our public transport. that could be implemented much quicker and would be much more feasible for Wellington,” he said.
Rogers criticised NZTA’s secrecy around the plans and timeline, saying there has been “a significant amount of information lacking from NZTA’s consultation”.
Major components of the mega-plan include a second Mt Victoria Tunnel with two eastbound lanes and a walking and cycling path, a second Terrace Tunnel with two southbound lanes, and changes to the Basin Reserve, including grade separation of state highway and local traffic.
It also proposes three lanes on Vivian St in the city centre.
The changes would shorten travel times for trips from outside the city to the airport, CBD, or hospital by up to 10 minutes at peak times.
It is being considered for Fast-Track consenting and public feedback is open until December 14.
Bishop said while main construction won’t start until 2029, subject to funding approval, early works can begin next year, allowing him to deliver on an election promise of having spades in the ground for the Mt Victoria tunnel component before the next election.
National campaigned in 2023 on the project, which it expected at the time to cost $2.2 billion.
Bishop has said the current roading layout “causes frustration and delay to people just trying to live their lives and go about their day”.
He recently warned of the “challenges” the Government faces in delivering the Roads of National Significance programme, saying the whole package would cost $56 billion if delivered in full over the next 20 years.
“Hard choices lie ahead. Not everyone is going to get what they want, exactly when they want it,” Bishop said at the Roading Industry Conference last month.
In a statement he said the Government will have more to say on a “clear plan for delivery”, including prioritisation for funding and delivery, in the coming months.
An investment case for the plans show it has a benefit-cost ratio of 0.7—1.2, meaning for every dollar spent on the changes it would provide $0.70-1.20 of benefits.
The roads would likely be tolled, Bishop earlier said, noting it would allow for further revenue stream to fund the investment, as well as ongoing revenue for maintenance.
NZTA said public consultation would be undertaken on tolling once construction funding is confirmed.
A second Mt Victoria tunnel has been long-debated in the capital.
A pilot tunnel was bored in the 1970s but plans were shelved the following decade due to budget constraints.
The debate was reignited when a second tunnel was planned in the now-killed Let’s Get Wellington Moving (LGWM) project.
Ethan Manera is a Wellington-based journalist covering Wellington issues, local politics and business in the capital. He can be emailed at ethan.manera@nzme.co.nz.