Victoria Park flyover chaos to continue for eight years

Motorists will be stuck in the notorious bottleneck on the Victoria Park flyover for at least another eight years, says the national road builder, Transit.

Auckland regional manager Richard Hancy said it would be at least 2009 before a start was made and four years of construction before traffic was flowing on the motorway improvements between Spaghetti Junction and the Auckland Harbour Bridge.

He was responding to Auckland City Mayor Dick Hubbard, who this week joined a chorus of leaders demanding an early start to complement improvements at Spaghetti Junction, due for completion next year.

North Shore Mayor George Wood has been pushing Transit to get a move on with the difficult project, which has been kicking around since 1990.

Auckland Chamber of Commerce chief executive Michael Barnett last week said it was one of several road projects stuck in the slow lane in spite of the Government's $1.62 billion package to accelerate transport projects.

Frustration levels rose in March when Transit put the project on hold to review the previous studies under the Land Transport Management Act to come up with a new preferred option.

Three months earlier, chairman David Stubbs and chief executive Rick van Barneveld said they had a preferred option for a northbound tunnel under Victoria Park and keeping the flyover for southbound traffic. This option received widespread support.

The tunnel, which Transit hopes to build for no more than $200 million, will double the capacity of the existing four-lane flyover over Victoria Park while leaving the 40-year-old structure in service for another 10 years or so.

Auckland City officers fear the review could lead to a different option being adopted and more delays.

The council transport committee yesterday let Transit know that widening the flyover was unacceptable and Victoria Park should not be compromised.

"We want minimum disruption to our residents and we want to preserve one of our most precious parks," Mr Hubbard said.

Mr Hancy said the latest review should be completed this year and once a preferred option was known Transit would enter the "Resource Management Act arena".

Going by experience, Transit had a start date of 2009 or 2010 in its 10-year state highway plan, he said.

Mr Hancy said if anything could speed up the project it would be regional consensus by the Auckland and North Shore councils and Auckland Regional Council on the preferred option.

"That would be a great boost," he said.

The transport committee is using the review to ask Transit to investigate the possibility of north- and south-bound bus lanes through St Marys Bay as part of the northern busway.

The story so far

1990-1995: Transit investigates increasing roading capacity for Victoria Park flyover and St Marys Bay motorway sections.
1995-1999: Transit rejects tunnelling for widening the flyover to five lanes and St Marys Bay from eight to nine lanes.
2002: Auckland City Council calls for a tunnel to reduce the negative impact on Victoria Park.
December 2004: Transit announces a new preferred option for a northbound tunnel and keeping the flyover for southbound traffic.