Auckland's Victoria and Wellesley street are about to undergo a major revamp.
More than $130 million will be pumped into the midtown project as part of the new City Rail Link.
It's a construction site for now but in a few years' time, the heart of Auckland's CBD will be completely transformed.
"It will be completely unrecognisable, it will be like a new city," Auckland Council's city centre programmes head Jenny Larking said.
Roads will be made narrower and footpaths will be wider, with the intention of making some of the spaces outdoor living areas.
"There will be a huge number of new residents and homes in the city centre, so we wanted to create an environment where people can use the streets and public space as their backyards, as their socialisation area," Larking said.
An influx of new residents will come as 21 storeys are about to be added to the block known as the Symphony Centre.
It will be home to office spaces, apartment blocks and gardens on the roof and it sits above Te Waihorotiu Station on the new City Rail Link.
"The station is progressing really well, we're approaching the end of the excavation phase," Te Waihorotiu community manager Shaun Sutton said
The work is 90 percent complete with all dirt below Albert Street set to be removed by the end of the year.
But as the diggers dig, the walls are going up around them.
"The focus is transitioning from our structural and our excavation works into the fit out of the station, which is the mechanical fit out, the electrical fit out, the safety system installation," Sutton said.
It's taking shape fast and it is set to be the country's busiest train station, with tens of thousands of passengers using it every day.
As for the price of the overall CRL project, Newshub wanted to know too but wasn't allowed to ask.
The entire City Rail Link was due to open by the end of 2024, but it's likely that date will blow out, just like the cost as it is still a work in progress.
