Civic Carpark repair bill rockets to $73m

If the council does not act to fix the 27-year-old Civic Carpark it could be forced to close it and Aotea Square with a year. Picture / Glenn Jeffrey

The problems with Auckland's underground Civic Carpark just get worse with revelations that the repair bill has blown out to $73 million.

The cost of replacing the cracked and leaky roof has risen from $15 million two months ago to $53.8 million. Once the cost of reinstating and upgrading Aotea Square is added, the bill to Auckland City ratepayers is $73.2 million.

It is also likely that the Aotea Centre and the Town Hall will have to be closed during the daytime for nine months.

Auckland City councillors will discuss the "crisis" - as Mayor Dick Hubbard calls it - next week.

If the council chooses to do nothing, it could be forced to close the carpark and Aotea Square within 12 months. The carpark opened in 1978.

Engineers have discovered the problems with the carpark roof are worse than even a month ago. For example, they have found that the reinforcing was a soft steel and unable to provide sufficient capacity to carry the load of the concrete roof, let alone crowds using the square.

"Significant cracks have been noted in the roof structure of the Civic Carpark. These cracks are due to overloading resulting in overstressing of the reinforcement," said engineer Murray Jacobs in a report dated May 31.

A report that went to councillors last night said the project would cause significant disruption, including the complete closure of the three-level, 930-space carpark for a minimum of 14 months at a cost of more than $3 million and daytime restrictions on events in the Aotea Centre and Auckland Town Hall.

The main steps leading up to the centre will be ripped out because they sit over the carpark roof and replaced at a cost of $3.6 million.

Alternative carparking and routes will have to be found to get patrons to the Aotea Centre. About one million people attend events in the centre and town hall each year.

Mr Hubbard said he was not happy about the deteriorating carpark, but the bottom line was that it had to be fixed, and quickly.

He would appoint a small group of high-profile business people, architects, engineers, councillors and council staff to look at opportunities and fresh ideas arising from the project to create an iconic civic square.

The project would be called "Outside the Square" and he would chair the group.

Mr Hubbard said the group would look at the current proposals to upgrade Aotea Square, create an arts precinct behind the town hall, take the front off the square for cafes and bistros and expand the carpark.

He wanted the group to be bold and consider other ideas such as an an international-size convention centre at The Edge, provision for underground rail and selling the Civic Carpark.

Mr Hubbard said it might mean spending $10 million or $20 million more for some of these ideas "but you will get a hell of a lot of bang for the buck and future generations will thank us for it".

The $73 million bill so far is expected to be funded by a $30 million loan to be paid back from carparking fees, $10.5 million already budgeted for the Aotea Square upgrade, $2.5 million of financial contributions and a mixture of deferring and reprioritising capital projects.