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Auckland Star
Only 91m separate the Auckland Harbor Bridge sections as construction nears completion on 12 February 1959.
A multi-billion dollar business case for a new Auckland Harbor crossing is drawing criticism from an engine advocate even before its official launch.
The Automobile Association (AA) says the proposal to wait at least 25 years before building a new road junction is “ridiculous” and it would be disastrous to delay action for so long.
But one public transport advocate says upgrading the northern busway and then building a rail tunnel before any new road junctions is the right idea.
The business case is the latest installment in the long and slow saga of the additional Waitematā Port Connections project.
READ MORE:
* Auckland Harbor Crossing: Planners want a $ 5 billion rail tunnel a decade before any new road links
* Northern Pathway: Legal options sought to save Harbor Bridge homes from demolition
* Auckland Harbor Tunnel Business Case Delayed
Auckland councilors will discuss it at a planning meeting on Thursday.
The agenda provides the first details on the huge sums supporting the business case.
Proposed business case improvements for rail, road and bus for New Zealand’s largest city could reach $ 18 billion over the next 27 years.
Recommends an urgent upgrade to the northern busway followed by an additional rail rapid transit connection to the North Shore, including a tunnel through the port to the CBD.
Connecting Takapuna and the central city with a rapid transit tunnel, at least 6 km long, is forecast to cost $ 5 billion. An additional $ 3 billion would be needed to extend further north to Albany depending on the business case.
Calculate the cost of an online highway bridge that expands the existing bridge’s capacity by $ 1 to $ 2 billion.
RYAN ANDERSON / THINGS
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That figure rises to $ 10 billion if a highway tunnel is built instead, linking downtown and Esmonde Rd with additional freeway lanes to Constellation Dr.
A summary of the business case provided on the agenda shows that officials estimated that an additional rail link would take 15 years to complete and is needed by the mid to late 2030s due to population growth.
The business case did not identify the need for a new road connection before the mid to late 2040s.
Auckland’s senior AA and transportation infrastructure advisor Barney Irvine said there was no question that rapid transit should be part of the next port crossing, and might even be the piece to be completed first.
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Auckland’s senior AA and transportation infrastructure advisor, Barney Irvine, has faced aspects of a new business case for an additional port crossing.
“But the idea that we won’t need a highway junction for 25-30 years is ridiculous,” Irvine said.
“Rapid transit alone is not going to cope with the congestion pressures Auckland faces, nor will it provide the support the city needs when something goes wrong on the Northern Highway. Postponing action for so long would be disastrous. “
Irvine said Auckland Transport and the New Zealand Transport Agency, whose staff worked on the project with Auckland City Council, should look beyond the road options within the existing highway corridor.
“The highway to the north and south of the bridge is already very congested and building additional lanes is very expensive and very difficult.
“If you add a new six-lane tunnel on that corridor, it will cost a lot, but it won’t do much to ease congestion, so they say it’s not a priority.
Instead, transportation officials should examine a new highway crossing further east or west of the current bridge, Irvine said.
RYAN ANDERSON / Stuff
Traffic spikes early on September 21 due to lane closures on the Auckland Harbor Bridge.
Matt Lowrie, editor of the Greater Auckland urban design and transport blog, said the business case was correct in tackling public transport links first, starting with the northern busway improvements and then moving into a rail tunnel.
Auckland’s North Busway is a separate bus route linking the northern end of the Harbor Bridge with the North Shore suburbs.
Opened in 2008, it is considered a success, as more than half of the people crossing the bridge use buses on any given day. The busway reached its maximum capacity in 2017, a decade ahead of schedule.
“The immediate need we have is that we must address the problem of public transportation because that is how we are going to move the majority of people and do it in the most efficient way and with the least impact on climate change,” Lowrie said.
“We need to focus on improving bus lanes, then we can consider a dedicated mass transit junction.”
“And then if we still need another road junction in the future, we can see it.”
Lowrie said it was important to note that the business case found linking the central city by rail to Albany, more than 10 km north of the harbor bridge, was forecast to cost $ 8 billion, including the tunnel, in compared to $ 10 billion for a highway junction and then an additional highway. lanes to Constellation Dr.
“The best result is to get the transit crossing to work first.”
