Slow Auckland councils delaying urgently needed motorway network improvements
Transit New Zealand have advised that they are ready to seek funding for the urgently needed $200 million Harbour Bridge
to City (HBTC) project. A part of this project includes the partial tunnel option to increase the capacity of the St
Mary’s Bay/ Victoria Park Viaduct sections to realise the benefits of the millions of dollars being spent increasing the
capacity of Spaghetti junction.
However Transit cannot proceed until they have the formal support of stakeholder Councils. Auckland City, North Shore
City, Auckland Regional Council (ARC) and the Auckland Regional Transport Agency (ARTA) are sitting on their hands while
the bottleneck in this area continues.
The Transit Board approved a tunnel option late last year, and has made presentations and offers to the three Councils
(North Shore, Auckland and ARC) and ARTA, but not yet received formal confirmation of their support.
“Plainly this is unacceptable,” said Michael Barnett co-chair of the Auckland Business Forum. “The region agrees that we
are now reaping the consequences of years of lack of action and under-investment in the region’s roading
infrastructure.”
“We have a long way to go and not much time – the Auckland region is growing by 51 more motor vehicles every day, along
with 71 people and 24 houses.”