If your question is not answered here, please email us at awhc@nzta.govt.nz .
Current situation
1. Why do we need another crossing?
The Transport Agency recognises the need for an additional crossing of the Waitematā Harbour to support the continued economic and social wellbeing of Auckland as an international city.
Auckland’s transport network is becoming increasingly constrained, impacting on the potential for economic growth and regional connectivity between Northland, the Auckland CBD, Auckland International Airport, and the regions to the south (particularly Waikato and Bay of Plenty). The predicted future growth of the Auckland region will increase the demand for transport, placing further pressure on the already congested transport network.
Auckland’s population is projected to grow by up to 1 million people over the next 30 years.
Long-term aspirations for the Auckland Harbour Bridge (AHB) focus on managing the iconic structure to provide the connectivity for all vehicles crossing the harbour. Careful operation and maintenance of the AHB will ensure its prolonged life as a critical link. However, future traffic projections indicate that loading restrictions may be required by around 2025, which will have an increasing impact on the efficiency and effectiveness of freight movements. More than 55% of New Zealand's freight travels through the Upper North Island freight area and an additional harbour crossing will be required to operate in conjunction with the AHB, to ensure the wider economy is not affected. Working together, the existing bridge and additional crossing offer greater transport options for crossing the harbour including the potential for public transport, walking, cycling and improvements to public space.
Network resilience [security of the transport network] is becoming increasingly important. Any reduction in the capacity of the AHB would cause significant disruption to accessibility. Provision of an additional crossing would greatly improve network resilience if traffic links on one crossing were disrupted by an emergency, vehicles could be diverted to the other crossing.
An additional crossing would also provide another link to carry essential city services such as water, electricity, gas and communication links. The Auckland Harbour Bridge already carries these services, and the additional crossing would provide more capacity as the city grows and extra security of supply if an emergency elsewhere had an impact on them.
2. What will an additional crossing provide?
Together with the existing Auckland Harbour Bridge, the Additional Waitematā Harbour Crossing will:
Support the rapid growth of Auckland’s population to be 2 million by 2030 and almost 3 million by 2040.
Play a critical role in supporting economic growth as a major freight corridor, enabling goods and services to move safely and reliably throughout NZ. Future traffic predictions indicate that weight restrictions may be required on the Auckland Harbour Bridge to ensure the longevity of the iconic structure. Collectively more than 55% of New Zealand’s freight moves through the Northland, Auckland, Waikato and Bay of Plenty regions.
Offer greater transport options for crossing the harbour including the potential for public transport, walking, cycling facilities and improvements to public space.
Improve the resilience and performance of Auckland’s transport network, increasing capacity, and providing an alternative route in the event of an incident on the network.
Ease congestion and improve travel times for motorists and freight.
- Enable another channel for essential services such as water, electricity, gas and telecommunications providing more capacity and continuity of supply, particularly important during an emergency.
3. What does Auckland have now?
The Auckland Harbour Bridge (AHB) is the most direct road crossing of the Waitematā Harbour between the CBD and the North Shore, and is one of the busiest routes for general traffic in New Zealand. It carries vehicle traffic, including buses, but does not carry rail or dedicated access for pedestrians and cyclists.
A construction programme to strengthen the extension bridges [clip-ons] on either side of the main bridge was completed in December 2010, bringing to end restrictions on heavy vehicles using these lanes. Although future traffic projections indicate that loading restrictions may be required by around 2025, careful operation and maintenance of the AHB will ensure its prolonged life as a critical link.
An additional crossing will not replace the existing bridge, which will continue to provide an important link across the harbour.
When it is completed, the Western Ring Route will also provide a motorway alternative to State Highway One, Auckland’s CBD and AHB. It will be 48 kilometres long, running from Manukau in the south through Waitakere and the upper Waitematā Harbour in the west to Albany in the north.
Looking forward
4. How will the public have a say?
Once planning is underway in early-mid 2016, the Transport Agency will be seeking your input, views and opinions through a wide range of channels.
During late 2015 the Transport Agency will take the opportunity to reconnect with some groups of stakeholders who have previously been involved in the project.
5. Where to from here?
The next phase of the project is to protect the preferred route. The objective of route protection is to designate the land which will provide planning certainty for the area.
In order to designate the land the NZ Transport Agency will work with consultants to prepare the required Notices of Requirement (NoRs). These NoRs will go through the appropriate public hearing process.
See approximate timeframes and activities below that are planned for this phase of work.
| Date | Activity |
2016 | Preparation of Notices of Requirement, Assessment of Effects on the Environment and technical reports |
2017 | Submit Notices of Requirement |
2017 | Statutory Approval Hearings |
2017/18 | Designation Decision |
HAVE YOUR SAY - Community engagement and consultation will form a critical part of each project phase. In 2016, once initial planning stages are underway, the Transport Agency will be seeking your feedback, opinions and input through a wide range of channels. Regular project updates will be available as the project develops.
6. What types of transport need to be included in planning for an additional crossing?
The primary purpose of an additional crossing is to meet the demands of a growing city and to move people and freight efficiently, conveniently and safely. Planning has to start now because of the size and complexity of the project.
Another crossing of the harbour would provide this much needed additional carrying capacity, in combination with the Auckland Harbour Bridge (AHB). The AHB could potentially carry public transport and walking and cycling facilities.
7. Will the additional crossing include rail?
Under current plans the crossing will be multi-modal and will include provision for rapid transit to cross the harbour.
The Northern Busway currently provides a dedicated, high capacity, passenger transport facility linking the North Shore and the CBD. It also uses general traffic lanes over the Auckland Harbour Bridge (AHB) and bus lanes and shoulders into the CBD. The network planning work shows that the Busway has sufficient capacity to provide for passenger growth up to 2040. This capacity depends on increasing numbers of buses being given access to the CBD and the ability of the CBD to accommodate the increase in bus movements and layovers.
One of the advantages of an additional crossing would be the ability to have dedicated bus lanes across the AHB, improving the reliability of public transport.
8. What about cycling and walking options?
There have been recent proposals from outside interests for the Transport Agency to provide walking and cycling facilities on the existing Auckland Harbour Bridge (AHB), most recently the SkyPath. An additional harbour crossing could allow for walking and cycling facilities to be incorporated within a reconfigured AHB. This provides a significant opportunity to link the North Shore and the Auckland CBD by for pedestrians and cyclists.
9. What will happen to the existing Auckland Harbour Bridge?
Long term aspirations for the Auckland Harbour Bridge (AHB) focus on managing the main structure and extension bridges to provide the continuing connectivity needed to cater for all vehicles crossing the harbour. Careful operation and maintenance of the AHB will ensure its prolonged life as a critical link. However, future traffic projections indicate that loading restrictions may be required by around 2025, which will impact on the efficiency and ability of the AHB to provide for future demand. This will have an increasing impact on the efficiency and effectiveness of freight movements. As such, an additional harbour crossing will be required to operate in conjunction with the AHB, to support economic growth.
Having an additional crossing will mean that there is additional capacity on the existing bridge to potentially provide dedicated public transport, walking and cycling facilities across the harbour.
The AHB, together with the additional crossing, will provide improved transport security and vehicles will still be able to cross the harbour if one of the two links is closed by a traffic incident or emergency. Both crossings operating in conjunction with each other also allows the possibility of separating CBD traffic to the AHB, with through traffic using the new tunnel crossing.
10. Why not remove the existing bridge?
Some suggestions to help fund the new crossing by removing the existing bridge for scrap and selling motorway land at St Marys Bay were investigated by the Transport Agency. It was found the cost of replacing the lost capacity on a new crossing would far outweigh the value of the land made available for redevelopment.
Such action would also mean that the Transport Agency could not improve route security, provide extra lanes for traffic through this busy corridor, nor provide a wider mix of transport modes [walking and cycling] across the harbour.
Route protection
11. Who will plan and build the additional crossing?
The NZ Transport Agency, Auckland Transport and KiwiRail are responsible for the planning mechanisms required to protect the proposed route, as the respective road and rail designating authorities.
The first priority is to future-proof the route by securing the designation for the land and providing planning certainty for the area.
12. How does the planning process work?
In 2009 Notices of Requirement (NoRs) were served to the Auckland Council, who has requested further support information. These NoRs are for the designation of land at the start and end of the proposed tunnels. As requested by the Minister of Transport, the NZ Transport Agency is working towards serving additional NoRs to resume the land designation process. All of the previous and new Notices of Requirement will go through the appropriate public hearing process.
Any further hearings or process has not yet been determined. The NoRs will be publicly notified in due course, with public submissions and a hearing, likely in 2016.
No decision has been made on the process in terms of consideration by the Auckland Council (or Environmental Protection Authority).
13. What are the consenting risks?
Existing policies provide clear direction to protect the natural character and values of the Waitematā Harbour.
Consequently, any works within the harbour will face challenges in obtaining consents.
The assessment indicates significant impacts on Shoal Bay on the North Shore. One of the biggest challenges will be land reclamation, although there are opportunities to mitigate possible impacts.
14. What is a Notice of Requirement?
The Notices of Requirement (NoR) are one of the first steps taken to safeguard the additional crossing. It is a method that allows the Transport Agency to give notice to a council that it wants to protect or designate land required sometime in the future for a project.
The Transport Agency and KiwiRail served NoRs in December 2009 with the then Auckland and North Shore City Councils to protect the route known as 'Option 2C'– a bored tunnel route under the Waitematā Harbour between Onewa and Esmonde Road on the North Shore and the Wynyard Quarter west of Auckland’s CBD.
Although construction of an additional crossing is several years away, there is a need to safeguard the route because of the redevelopment of the Wynyard Quarter. The NoR would safeguard the route against the future construction of new buildings and amenities like parks. It also provides the local authority and developers with planning certainty.
The NoRs will be publicly notified with public submissions and a hearing process, likely in 2016.
An NoR to designate land must go through one of the following decision making processes before it becomes a designation and included in a territorial authority’s district plan:
- The application may be heard by Auckland Council, which recommends to the Transport Agency whether it thinks the designation should be confirmed in its district plan [with or without modifications], or withdrawn. The Transport Agency can accept or reject the recommendation in part or full.
- Auckland Council and any person who made a submission on the NoR can appeal the Transport Agency’s decision to the Environment Court.
- The NoR may be lodged with the Environmental Protection Authority [EPA] if the Minister for the Environment considers it is a matter of national significance. Such applications are referred to a Board of Inquiry or the Environment Court, which will make a decision.
- An NoR may be directly referred to the Environment Court if the Transport Agency requests it and Auckland Council agrees. The Court would make a decision on the NOR.
Construction
15. How long will it take to construct an additional crossing?
The tunnel would take approximately 5 to 7 years to construct.
16. When will a new crossing be constructed?
No decision is required for some years on the exact timing of construction. However, the Auckland Plan identifies the Additional Waitematā Harbour Crossing will be required between 2025 and 2030 and it is estimated the crossing will take approximately 5 to 7 years to construct.
17. Has a funding method been selected?
No. The method of funding still has to be determined in consultation with a number of Government agencies, Auckland Council and its organisations, and the public.