Grafton Bridge reopens to traffic tomorrow

Aucklanders had a chance to celebrate today when the city's Grafton Bridge officially reopened with a civic ceremony this morning.

The 11am event was followed by an open day, as part of the Auckland Heritage Festival with heritage tours, live music and vintage vehicle displays.

The bridge will reopen to traffic tomorrow, and will operate as a bus lane between 7am and 7pm on weekdays.

Emergency vehicles, cyclists, motorcyclists and pedestrians will have access at all times.

Auckland City Mayor John Banks marked the occasion, alongside family members of former Mayor Charles Grey, who first opened Grafton Bridge in 1910.

As part of the official ribbon cutting ceremony, a family member of Mr Grey presented the mayor with the original scissors used to open the bridge 99 years ago.

The Link bus service will begin using the route immediately, with more bus lanes to be added over the next few months as work is completed on the Park Road overbridge later this year. The bus lanes are planned to reach full capacity by February 2010.

"The completion of this project is a significant milestone in our plans to further improve the city's transport infrastructure by providing the means for reliable and efficient public transport," Mr Banks said.

- NZPA