Mike Hosking talks to Finance Minister Grant Robertson about 'shovel-ready' projects and economic recovery after COVID-19 - 31st March.
The $360 million SkyPath project over Auckland Harbour Bridge is tracking for construction to begin early next year - fulfilling Finance Minister Grant Robertson's desire for infrastructure projects to kick start the post-lockdown economy.
This morning, Robertson said the economy would need to diversify to overcome gaps such as tourism and the international education sector.
The Government was working on a package of initiatives, including infrastructure and regional schemes, to roll out as soon as possible to help the economy recover.
An obvious option for the Government is to crack on and even speed up "shovel ready" projects in its $6.8 billion package of transport projects announced in February, of which $3.5b will be spent in Auckland.
Other Auckland projects at or near the "shovel ready" stage include the $411m Penlink road connecting the Whangaparaoa Peninsula with SH1 at Redvale (start date late 2021), widening the Southern Motorway between Papakura and Drury ($423m, start late 2020), electrification of rail between Papakura and Pukekohe ($371m, start late 2020) and a third rail line between Quay Park and Wiri ($315m, start late 2020).
Outside Auckland, the $478m Tauranga Northern Link has a start date of late 2020, $59m of safety improvements on SH58 between Wellington's Hutt Valley and Porirua are due to start mid this year and $211m of rail improvements north of Wellington will start later this year.
Queenstown, reeling from the collapse of tourism, has $90m of improved public transport, walking and cycling and intersection improvements in the pipeline from next year.
Yesterday, the NZ Transport Agency announced it is seeking public feedback on the long-running SkyPath project, which includes a 3km extension of the cycleway and walkway to Esmonde Rd at Takapuna, known as SeaPath.
The public have just two weeks to provide feedback on the latest designs for SkyPath and SeaPath to begin the consenting process mid-year for a start on construction early next year.
That's a best-case scenario. The consenting case is subject to approvals and the business case said the build involves complex work connecting the new structure to the piers and challenging underwater work.
Finance Minister Grant Robertson. Photo / Herald
A mid-2021 start date is more likely, subject to the approval process, the agency told the Herald in February. Construction is expected to take about two-and-a-half years.
Transport Agency senior manager project delivery Andrew Thackwray said the route of the pathway is set and preferred designs for connections at both ends have been updated.
Among the changes are running the pathway along the eastern side of the motorway at the North Shore end with a bridge over SH1 before the Onewa interchange and a second bridge over Onewa Rd for the pathway to continue on the western side of SH1 to Esmonde Rd.
The project could require the compulsory purchase of up to six property titles on the eastern side of the bridge at North Shore.
The new design has increased in size to a 5m wide open path connected to the existing concrete piers on the southern side of the bridge.
The changes to the original plans for a 4m wide enclosed cycling and walking path attached to the bridge's clip-ons help explain the huge cost increase from $67m in 2018 to about $240m for the latest design. The rest of the $360m cost is for SeaPath.
Thackwray said if the shared path was supported by one of the clip-ons the extra load would reduce the bridge's capacity for traffic in future.
It is preferable, he said, for the path to be supported by the fixed concrete piers than the clip-ons, which move up and down under vehicle loading.
Work could start on the Penlink road between Whangaparaoa and SH1 next year. Photo / File
Thackwray said the clip-ons were 50 years old and with ongoing maintenance and management of traffic loading will last for the foreseeable future. About half of the 170,000 vehicles a day which cross the bridge drive on the clip-ons.
"It's just a really complex build," Thackwray said in February.
The latest request for feedback builds on years of public discussion and looks at some different options along the route.
"We still want to hear about any local issues, challenges and opportunities that we should consider," Thackwray said.
The project is part of a cycling and walking pathway from the Harbour Bridge to Albany being built in stages.
For more on the Northern Pathway project and the consultation process, go to https://www.nzta.govt.nz/projects/northern-pathway/ or email the project team at northernpathway@nzta.govt.nz
