Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has revealed the Government will build two new tunnels under the Waitemata Harbour and a separate light rail tunnel in an ambitious plan for a second harbour crossing in Auckland.
The Prime Minister made the announcement on Sunday morning saying the two-three lane tunnels (one in each direction) would be 5-6km long and construction is planned to start by the end of the decade.
Hipkins said in a statement the tunnels would be for vehicles between the central Auckland motorway junction and Akoranga on the North Shore, with the estimated cost expected to be $12-$15 billion.
Separately, a future light rail tunnel is proposed from the Wynyard Quarter, under the harbour east of the Auckland Harbour Bridge. On top of this, there would be six new stations on the way to the North Shore.
The light rail tunnel would be a phased project, with construction not expected to begin until at least the first of the two road tunnels is completed.
Hipkins said a second harbour crossing is needed as soon as possible after recent closures of the Harbour Bridge caused a nightmare for Auckland motorists.
"The recent wind-related bridge closures of the Harbour Bridge, and the increasing frequency of flooding on the approaches north of the bridge, illustrate the city's vulnerability to interruptions. These new tunnels future-proof the city's transport network by reducing reliance on the Harbour Bridge while creating fast new options for getting in and out of the city," Hipkins said.
"A project such as this must be delivered in stages, like the Waikato Expressway was, so that the cost and roll-out of each element can be managed carefully and responsibly. The Government has asked the New Zealand Transport Agency - Waka Kotahi to accelerate work on essential first steps towards realising a transport plan of this scale.
"We could afford the Harbour Bridge in 1959, when Auckland's population was only 430,000, so we can afford a second crossing that will modernise transport for the city's residents and the millions of people who visit every year."
The Prime Minister said there would be a reallocation of space on the existing Auckland Harbour Bridge.
Four lanes would remain open for general traffic, two lanes would become dedicated bus lanes to extend the Northern Busway to the CBD. There would also be some clip-on lanes, which would become cycling and walkways. An elevated walkway would be built above the cycle lanes to provide separate lanes for pedestrians.
The announcement comes after five options for an additional Auckland harbour crossing were revealed earlier this year.
Transport Minister David Parker welcomed the extension of the Northern Busway across the bridge into the city centre.
"The Northern Busway is among New Zealand's most successful public transport projects - it has vastly improved the daily commute made by thousands of North Shore residents into the city centre each day. Without it the northern motorway and the bridge would already be completely clogged at peak times," Parker said.
"The twin-tunnel connection would allow the busway to be extended across dedicated lanes on the Harbour Bridge into the CBD. This is essential to maximising the value of other important investments such as City Rail Link currently under construction."
Waka Kotahi's recommended option also included raising State Highway One north of the Harbour Bridge to protect it from flooding caused by storm surges and sea level rise, Parker said.
"In my opinion, one of the problems in Auckland transport planning has been too much uncertainty. All harbour crossing options land in the same area south of the bridge, near to Victoria Park. This is the anchor point for everything," Parker said.
"It is clear to me that the critical connections between the new tunnels, the Auckland Harbour Bridge, SH1 (south and north), SH16 (to the port and to the west), the City Rail Link, the Northern Busway, the much needed North Western busway, and any light rail options should be secured now.
"Much of the land is already owned by the Crown. Securing the remaining land is important for all future options. The draft Government Policy Statement of Transport to be released in the coming weeks will prioritise and fund this."
The overall cost of all the projects is estimated to be $35-45 billion. Breaking this down, the two road tunnels are estimated to cost $12-$15b, the light rail tunnel from Takapuna to the CBD will cost $11b and up to $16b from Takapuna to Albany.
This story was amended on August 10 to show when construction was planned to start.
