auckland harbour crossing

It was 10 years and about a month ago that John Key, then Prime Minister of New Zealand, got up on his hind legs at the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and laid out the National Party's plan for a new harbour crossing.

There was going to be a freight corridor in Onehunga mooted, as was an inner-city rail link, a cost of $2.86 billion. Two options were floated: tunnels near the existing harbour bridge or another bridge. A road bridge would cost $3.9 billion to build.

In this day and age, $3.9 billion is like pocket change, the sort of money that Grant Robertson seems to regularly find or lose down the back of the couch. Tunnels would cost up to $5.3 billion.

That was the plan, they were going to get onto it. It was going to start in 2026. And fast forward 10 years to today, nothing happened. And $5.3 billion? If only!

The Government yesterday announced a multibillion dollar harbour tunnel plan incorporating light rail, and the cost was estimated to be around $45 billion.

$5.3 to $45 billion. And really, if anyone expects it to come in on budget tell them they're dreaming!

Transport Minister David Parker told the Mike Hosking Breakfast that when it comes to paying for it, because that's the big question, he says they're leaving their options open. He said, it would be easier to fund from within rather than going cap in hand to China to take part in the Belt and Road scheme that many impoverished nations take advantage of.

I tend to agree.

There's other ways of finding the money and all options will be explored. But do you agree? That we just have to bite the bullet. That you just have to be able to provide an alternative to an aging piece of infrastructure that is long past its use by date and is not really able to deliver for all transport options.

We just have to do it, don't we?

If we can go from $5 billion to $45 billion in 10 years, if we hold off another 10 years, how much more is it going to cost?

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In 2013 Sir John Key announced a second harbour crossing at an Auckland Chamber of Commerce meeting when he was outlining the then-National Government's transport policy.

A decade later Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and Transport Minister David Parker announced the proposal for a second Waitematā crossing: two three lane tunnels and a light rail linking Albany to the CBD.

Sir John Key joined Kerre Woodham to discuss the proposal.

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Criticism is coming in thick and fast for the Government's plan for a second Waitemata Harbour crossing.

It wants to build two three-lane tunnels for vehicles and a light rail tunnel, with a route eventually linking Albany and the CBD.

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown claims both National and Labour have failed to cooperate with the Council on big transport plans.

He says it's exploring better, faster and cheaper plans.

Wayne Brown joined Kerre Woodham to discuss the proposal.

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Auckland's Business Chamber is keen to see some momentum on a second harbour crossing.

The Government's released a plan which will include two 3-lane vehicle tunnels and a light rail route connecting Albany and the CBD.

Chamber Chief Executive Simon Bridges told Kate Hawkesby that the plan is positive, and he'd love to see more details.

He wants to know if it can be sped up, and exactly how much it will decongest the roads.

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Come on, are we really going to play this game?

Where we all pretend that just because Chippy and Michael Wood announced they would start building the new Auckland harbour crossing by 2029, that it’s actually going to happen? 

2029 is six years away, it’s not happening.

Here’s why; because this is what happens in construction in six years.

Light Rail- Six years ago, 2017, Jacinda Ardern promised Auckland she would build Light Rail. 

Six years on, they haven’t even started construction and that’s on a project she thought would be finished more than a year ago already. 

Let's Get Wellington Moving- Six years ago, they were at exactly the same phase as this second crossing is, with four options to choose from.

Six years on, they have one pedestrian crossing. 

Then on top of that, add the fact that we don’t even have enough construction workers in this country to deal with the projects we’re dealing with already, never mind this.

We still have to rebuild State Highway 5 to Napier, State Highway 25A to the Coromandel, the road from Wairoa to Gisborne and all of the roads and bridges out all over Hawke’s Bay and the Gisborne region.

All the homes, all the buildings, all the infrastructure, that's going to take a long time to rebuild.

We are still, to this day, rebuilding from the Christchurch earthquake 12  years ago.

Don’t get me wrong, I want this second harbour crossing, but I'm not going to fall for this trick of announcing they’re doing it earlier.

This is just a cynical and deliberate attempt to move us on from the Stuart Nash stuff. This is a giant, bridge-shaped distraction.

Come on.

Yes we’ll eventually get this crossing, but not by 2029.

Nice try, Labour.

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