North Shore busway going ahead after 17-year wait

By MATHEW DEARNALEY

Work will start before Christmas on the $235 million North Shore busway - 17 years after the project was first mooted.

This follows a decision yesterday from the state funding agency Transfund to grant $180 million for the 7.3km two-lane busway from Constellation Drive to Esmonde Rd, and for a 1.2km single-lane stretch to the Auckland Harbour Bridge.

Earthworks have begun on two of the project's five proposed bus stations, which North Shore City Council will build at a cost of $74 million, helped by a $40 million grant from Infrastructure Auckland.

Transit New Zealand, which will build the busway itself, included a $19 million cost escalation allowance on top of a $161 million main estimate in its grant application to Transfund.

It had already received $36 million from the agency to upgrade the Esmonde Rd interchange with the Northern Motorway, which will allow buses from Auckland to join the busway at the proposed Akoranga bus station.

North Shore Mayor George Wood said yesterday's decision was great news for his city, which would undertake $9 million of works associated with the Akoranga station.

The council's work programme would include a link road and bridge to the station from Fred Thomas Drive and tie-ins with a widened Esmonde Rd.