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MINISTERIAL BRIEFING NOTE 
Subject 
Update on the Additional Waitematā Harbour Connections project 
Date 
12 November  2020 
Briefing number 
BRI-2066 
Contact(s) for telephone discussion (if required) 
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Name 
Position 
Direct line 
Cell phone 
1st contact 
s 9(2)(a)
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Brett Gliddon 
General Manager, 
 

Transport Services 
INFORM
Action taken by Office of the Minister 

Noted

Seen by Minister

Agreed

Feedback provided

Forwarded to

Needs change [please specify]

Withdrawn

Overtaken by events 
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BRI-2066 
 
12 November  2020 
M inister of Transport 
 
Update on the Additional  Waitematā Harbour  Connections 
project 
Purpose 
1. 
This briefing provides you with an update on the Additional Waitematā Harbour Connections 
(AWHC) project following your review of the recent business case planning document and 
meeting with Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency officials on Monday 9 November 2020. 
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Background and outcomes from recent planning work 
2. 
Waka Kotahi, Auckland Transport (AT) and Auckland Council have been working in partnership to 
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develop  a business case which analyses the current and future  problems faced in Auckland’s 
Northern Motorway corridor (including the Auckland Harbour Bridge and the Northern Busway). 
The  business case assesses several options for addressing these problems and recommends a 
way forward to provide a comprehensive and long-lasting response. 
3. 
The recent business case has recommended the following programme of investments to address 
the travel choice, resilience, and productivity issues identified in the study area:  
INFORM
•  Further investigate options to optimise existing infrastructure and delay the need  for 
major investment (e.g. by influencing growth patterns or using road pricing). 
•  Upgrade and enhance the Northern Busway over  the next few  years to increase its 
capacity, reliability and overall service quality into the future. A Detailed Business Case 
further investigating Northern Busway enhancements is already being progressed by 
AT. 
•  Develop  an additional rail-based rapid transit connection for the North Shore (including 
across the Waitematā Harbour to the city centre), that supplements and integrates with 
the upgraded Northern Busway and the wider public transport network to provide more 
public transport travel options.  
•  Improve roading connectivity  to address resilience issues and  growing  all-day 
congestion on the state highway system, including the Auckland Harbour Bridge. 
Next steps 
4. 
The next phase of the programme will be for Waka Kotahi, AT and Auckland Council to progress 
the Strategic Transport Networks planning work in the form of a Single Stage Business Case.  
5. 
The business case will start by further investigating an additional rail-based rapid transit 
connection across the Waitematā Harbour, focusing on the form (including mode) and alignment 
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(route) of the new cross harbour rapid transit connection. 
6. 
Once the rapid transit connection is better understood, the study will undertake further 
investigations into both the wider rapid transit network on the North Shore and what roading 
system improvements should look like, when they are required, and how any new road crossing 
would interact with the preferred rapid transit route. This will include assessment of crossing 
options. 
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7. 
This future business case planning work is expected to begin in 2021. This work will take an 
integrated full system approach and interdependencies with other transport projects need to be a 
key part of this future investigation.  
8. 
Engagement with stakeholders and the community will take place during the next planning 
phases in 2021 to help shape the project and gather insights into what customers need for future 
connections. 
Further information on business case findings 
9. 
Following review of the AWHC business case, you requested additional information on aspects 
of the business case. This information is outlined below. 
Auckland Harbour Bridge – heavy vehicles 
10.  The Waka Kotahi long-term plan for  the Auckland Harbour Bridge still focuses on managing the 
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main  structure and  extension clip-on bridges so that the bridge continues to provide  the 
connectivity needed to cater for all vehicles crossing the harbour.  
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11.  While the Auckland Harbour Bridge has been  strengthened on several  occasions in the past, 
further strengthening is no longer possible. This means that maintaining the structural integrity of 
the bridge is likely to require some restrictions on heavy vehicles in the future, such as limiting the 
lanes they can use, the number of  heavy  vehicles allowed on the bridge at any one time, or the 
time of day they are able to travel on the bridge.  
12.  With a programme of ongoing monitoring, maintenance, upgrades and load management means 
the bridge is able to carry reduced loads indefinitely. While careful and ongoing strategic 
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management of the Auckland Harbour Bridge will ensure its prolonged life as a critical link,  there 
will have to be some loading restrictions in the future. The timing of these restrictions will be driven 
by a number of factors, but the current maintenance strategy assumes they will be needed within 
the next 20 years. 
Northern Busway Enhancements Detailed Business Case  
13.  The Northern Busway Enhancements Detailed Business Case is currently underway by AT and is 
due to be completed in mid-2021. The AWHC findings confirmed that the Northern Busway needs 
to be progressively enhanced by the late 2020s-early 2030s to meet the growth in passenger 
demand until a supplementary higher capacity rapid transit network can be delivered. While parts 
of  the busway operate well, undersized stations, gaps in bus priority, and city centre constraints 
mean the busway is not used to its full potential. Over time this will mean bus travel times wil  
become increasingly unreliable, people will have to wait longer at stations, and it will take longer 
to board buses.  
14.  Addressing these issues will enable a better customer experience, maximise the benefits of the 
busway, and possibly delay the need for major further investments. The enhancements are likely 
to include a variety  of improvements, such as station platform lengthening, filling gaps in bus 
priority (e.g. northbound between Fanshawe Street and Esmonde Road), and city centre public 
transport improvements. The enhancements may also include operational improvements such as 
installing ticketing gates at busway stations (much like at train stations) to enable faster, all-door 
boarding. The current study will also confirm the urgency and timing of these improvements. 
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Decarbonisation  
15.  The main opportunity for the AWHC programme to support decarbonisation of the transport system 
is through supporting mode shift to public transport. Specific metrics on the scale of mode shift and 
emissions reductions depends on key assumptions around land-use, road  pricing and the form 
and function of future investments (which has not yet been confirmed). The findings of the AWHC 
project showed that: 
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•  the Northern Busway and rapid transit parts of the programme enable a significant increase 
in cross-harbour public transport trips and mode shift, especially for trips to the city centre 
•  the road components of the programme result in slightly higher vehicle kilometres travelled 
per capita (through longer trips), but generally don’t reduce public transport use. 
•  Sea level rises will require the raising and protection of the current SH1 Corridor along 
portions of the motorway south of Akoranga and North of the Auckland Harbour Bridge.  
Tunnel options and fiscal implications  
16.  Previous detailed work by Waka Kotahi on a combined road and rail crossing was undertaken in 
2016. This assessed the environmental, social, cultural and consenting challenges adjacent to the 
SH1 corridor. This work concluded that it is unlikely that a bridge option could be consented under 
current legislation.  
17.  The recent business case also preferred a tunnel option for the additional rapid transit connection 
due to lower consenting risk and the ability for a tunnel to deliver  a faster and more direct link 
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between Takapuna and the City Centre. However, the business case also notes that a bridge 
option should be considered in the next phase, given its lower cost. The trade-offs between cost, 
consenting risk and key outcomes (fast travel  times across the harbour  and  direct links with 
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Takapuna) will be considered in more detail in the next phase of planning work, expected to begin 
next year. 
18.  The affordability of the programme of works will also need to be fully considered in the next phase 
of  investigations. Current financial models and  funding sources will need  to  be  supplemented 
through additional investment and/or alternative mechanisms in order to fund the programme. At 
this stage, it is clear this programme would not be viable if  solely funded on a pay-as-you-go model 
via the National Land Transport Fund.  
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It is  recommended that you:  
1.  Note the contents of this briefing  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
........................................................................... 
Brett Gliddon 
General Manager Transport Services 
 
 
 
 
RELEASED UNDER THE OFFICIAL 
 
............................................................................ 
Hon Michael Wood, Minister of Transport  
Date:    
2020 
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