Wynyard Quarter bridge reopens: Businesses hopeful key pedestrian link will bring patrons back

Businesses in downtown Auckland are hopeful the reopening of a key pedestrian bridge this morning will bring patrons back to the area.

The Wynyard Crossing bridge has been intermittently out of action for a little over a year after it broke on November 17, 2023. It has forced people to walk a 20-minute detour or use a ferry to cross the Viaduct Basin.

A week later, the fault was repaired and the bridge was reopened.

Then, on January 12 this year, another intermittent fault was discovered and the bridge was closed again, a spokeswoman for Eke Panuku Auckland Development said.

It was fully closed in March.

The bridge, constructed at a cost of $3.7 million and opened in 2011, was built to raise and lower its span to accommodate for boats passing below.

It has cost at least $10.6m to fix the bridge, according to an update from Auckland Council’s development arm Eke Panuku in October. Photo / Jason Oxenham

It has cost at least $10.6m to fix the bridge, according to an update from Auckland Council’s development arm Eke Panuku in October.

Eke Panuku said the bridge was due to open at 7.30am today. The Herald saw the bridge open at 7.09am.

Publican Tricky Hartley, owner of The Conservatory, said he was incredibly excited about the bridge reopening.

“We’re all incredibly excited.

“Business has been down about 60% since it closed. This has been incredibly hard for all of us.”

He said there ought to be some promotional work to inform people they are able to return.

Speaking about the disruption caused by the bridge being broken last year, general manager of the Park Hyatt in Viaduct Harbour, Brett Sweetman, told the Herald: “It is inconvenient for everyone.

“It’s impacting our colleagues coming to work, and they are getting complaints from our guests because they can’t access Quay St and Commercial Bay easily.

“It’s the main thoroughfare connecting the CBD to the Wynyard area and it’s been out of operation. Particularly at this time of year – it’s tourism season. We had cruise ships in last week, and all the businesses down here are being hit as a result [of the fault],” Sweetman said.

Eke Panuku said the bridge was due to open at 7.30am today. The Herald saw the bridge open at 7.09am. Photo / Michael Craig

“The major impact for the international guests here who want to go on a ferry to Waiheke, normally they just walk across the bridge, a 10-minute walk and they’re at the ferry terminal. But now, we ask them to go around the marina. It’s terribly inconvenient.

“It’s not really the best way to showcase the city when you’ve got [major] events happening,” he said.

Restauranteur Alex Pearson, general manager of the Wynyard Pavilion, told Newstalk ZB there was a busy summer schedule of events for the area.

Pearson said: “We’ve got SailGP down here in January, we’ve got Six60 coming, the Auckland Boat Show – so a lot is going on in Wynyard Quarter over summer.

“It’s just crucial to have that [bridge] working.”

Raphael Franks is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. He joined the Herald as a Te Rito cadet in 2022.

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