Auckland Harbour Bridge. Photo: Tom Kitchin
- Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has revealed a proposal for a second harbour crossing - a bridge stretching from Meola Reef to North Shore's Kauri Point
- A local North Shore leader says he does not agree with the plan, but does want to find alternatives to the originally proposed tunnel
- There are concerns about the impacts the proposed bridge could pose on the Kauri Point Reserve and Meola Reef
Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown is urging the government to build a second harbour bridge spanning Pt Chevalier and the North Shore as a cheaper alternate crossing option.
In a recently published column, the Auckland leader has revealed a plan to use the naturally-existing lava flow at Meola Reef to support a new Waitematā Harbour crossing that would link across the water at Kauri Point.
A local North Shore leader has said it is good the mayor was "thinking outside the box" but he "definitely" did not agree with the proposed plan.
In an opinion piece in the Sunday Star-Times, Brown said the new proposed bridge would cost a fraction of the price of the tunnel.
"The bridge would be less than 8 percent of the tunnel cost, and the land sales would cover that cost, so there's a challenge to the bureaucrats: a free bridge to a new area that will reduce pressure on the existing route or a ridiculously expensive tunnel that won't reduce congestion at all."
He claimed the existing bridge does not cause congestion, instead it is in the roads surrounding the bridge. Brown claimed that because the new bridge would have entry and exit points in separate areas, it would be the key to reducing congestion.
Councillor Richard Hills said it was good the mayor was looking "outside the box".
"We agree on a lot, but definitely not on this. He does bring up a good point that we need to be considering far more affordable options for future crossings across the harbour."
Hills said the option would be "impossible to consent" because of the environmental implications of the project, given it would be crossing over the Meola Reef.
He also said there would have to be extensive consultations with local iwi due to the encroachment of historical reserves like Kauri Point.
Wayne Brown. Photo: RNZ / Finn Blackwell
The original plan for the new harbour crossing was crafted under the Labour government and unveiled in August 2023. They said it would take decades to build and would cost $56 billion.
It was continuously rejected by major transport bodies, who had worked to come up with cheaper alternatives.
Transport Minister Simeon Brown said during the election, National campaigned on the importance of a second crossing for Auckland's Waitematā Harbour to reduce congestion, provide additional options for commuters on both sides of the harbour and address capacity pressures on the ageing Auckland Harbour Bridge.
National anticipated starting work on a new crossing by the end of the decade that, at a minimum, would provide more road connections between the North Shore and the CBD.
Simeon Brown has yet to reveal any more plans for the new crossing and said in February they would not be rushing decisions as it was "the most significant land transport project in New Zealand history".
Wayne Brown has been approached for additional comments.