The New Zealand government has recently announced its plan to begin construction of a second crossing over the Waitemata Harbour.
Infrastructure New Zealand Chief Executive Nick Leggett stated, “A second crossing is not a nice-to-have, it is a must-have. The existing Auckland Harbour Bridge has reached capacity and requires significant improvements to maintain its resilience and remain open.”
An official report on traffic across the Auckland Harbour Bridge highlights that the bridge will reach full capacity for all transport modes by 2030. The report estimates that planning for the new harbour crossing will take at least 10 years, with construction requiring an additional five to seven years to complete.
In 2019, the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) commissioned PwC to evaluate options for a second crossing, considering past proposals and current traffic trends. The report indicated that there were 170,000 daily vehicle crossings, which included 11,000 trucks and 1,000 buses.
While the number of car passengers during peak hours remained stable, truck and bus volumes increased, with projections suggesting that truck crossings could reach 26,000 daily by 2046. The report’s authors argued that new heavy rail tunnels would be more efficient than previous proposals combining road and rail.
Over the years, considerable work and planning have been undertaken to explore several options for an additional crossing to accommodate the growing traffic and vehicle numbers crossing the Harbour Bridge. In March 2023, the Labour Government presented five crossing scenarios for future transport connections.
These scenarios include bridge and tunnel options, each featuring a new walking and cycling link and new light rail across the Waitemata Harbour. Each scenario has varying costs, environmental impacts, construction timelines, and development sequences, such as which components to build first.
Regardless of the government’s option, the project will be one of the most significant and expensive infrastructure endeavors the country has seen in a long time and could potentially take a decade or more to construct.
In March 2025, the New Zealand government announced the next steps for constructing a new crossing over Waitemata Harbour. Transport Minister Chris Bishop emphasized that advancing this project is a priority for the Government.
The only existing bridge connecting Auckland to the North Shore renders the country’s largest city, which is a significant economic contributor at 38%, vulnerable. Hence, adding another crossing will greatly enhance the city’s resilience.
“So over the next 12 months, starting in the coming days, we’ll undertake geotechnical, environmental, and utilities investigations to gain a comprehensive understanding of ground and seabed conditions and, in time, to determine whether a bridge or a tunnel would be the more suitable crossing option,” says Mr Bishop.
He acknowledges the tremendous work done over the decades on various crossing options. He urges the NZ Transport Agency not to disregard this effort but to utilize the investments already made.
Bishop describes the project as “one of the most significant transport investments in New Zealand in decades, with the potential to significantly grow our economy and create thousands of jobs and opportunities for New Zealanders.”
The proposed second Waitemata Harbour crossing aims to address Auckland’s increasing transport demands while ensuring the region’s long-term resilience.
With traffic on the existing Auckland Harbour Bridge reaching full capacity and projections indicating further congestion by 2030, this project has become an urgent necessity.
The Government’s commitment to advancing the project and the substantial infrastructure planning that has already begun promises to enhance the city’s connectivity, support economic growth, and generate significant employment opportunities.
Sources:
Infrastructure NZ welcomes plan for second harbour crossing. (2025, March 16). Inside Government. Retrieved from https://insidegovernment.co.nz/infrastructure-nz-welcomes-plan-for-second-waitemata-harbour-crossing/
INVESTMENT SUMMIT: Waitematā Harbour Crossing. (2025, March 14). Releases. Beehive.govt.nz. Retrieved from https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/investment-summit-waitemat%C4%81-harbour-crossing
Wilson, S. (2019, March 9). The next harbour crossing: road and rail, or just rail? The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved from https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/the-next-harbour-crossing-road-and-rail-or-just-rail/MPKG2ZXXHPUGWDZ6TNL5L6TJIA/?c_id=1&objectid=12210993
Harbour Crossing Project now estimated to cost $15-25 billion. (2023, March 30). Greater Auckland. Retrieved from https://www.greaterauckland.org.nz/2023/03/30/harbour-crossing-project-now-estimated-to-cost-15-25-billion/
Leave a Reply