KEY POINTS:
The price of a new bridge across the Viaduct Harbour has soared from $35 million to $51.2 million.
And the city council says public transport, cycling and walking features will have to be cut back if the price rises any further.
The Auckland City Council yesterday announced a "twin leaves" design for Te Wero bridge linking downtown Auckland with the Tank Farm development across the Viaduct Harbour. It has three tall mast-like structures reflecting yacht hull and sail forms.
A design competition was held to come up with a striking design for a bridge that must open so boats can continue to use the Viaduct Harbour.
Among the short-listed designs were an eel trap, a fantail and a gull with outstretched wings.
The judges selected the "twin leaves" design by a team from Hyder Consulting in Wellington, Denton Corker Marshall Design in Melbourne and Kenneth Grubbs and Associates in Britain.
Chief judge Professor John Hunt said the design stood out because of its high level of design innovation and the unique way the twin leaves opened. City development chairman Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga said the bridge would become a dominant feature of the area, and people would come to see it in motion.
But the $35 million budget for the bridge has risen to $51.2 million in the space of a few months, and a report on the project said "substantial risks exist regarding cost estimates" as the design is developed.
It is planned to pay for the bridge from transport development contributions collected from the Tank Farm, the development arm of the Auckland Regional Council and a transport subsidy.
The New Zealand Transport Agency will be asked for a 53 per cent subsidy, but this is not guaranteed.
If the final design cannot meet the $51.2 million budget, options to cut costs include reducing the width of the bridge and providing a single public transport lane and provision for cycling and walking.
The width of the opening could also be reduced from 40m to 35m.
The council is unlikely to approve extra money for the bridge because it is facing a budget crunch and soaring debt, which has doubled to $380 million in the first year under Mayor John Banks and Citizens and Ratepayers.
Mr Banks and his C&R allies are preparing another cost-cutting budget to hold rates to inflation next year.
At the same time, they must start finding an extra $17 million to $24 million as part of a $56 million package for the Rugby World Cup in 2011.
