A planned six year wait for new bridges to be built after Auckland’s City Rail Link opens is disappointing, the Automobile Association and National Road Carriers say.
On Friday, the government allocated another $200 million dollars to remove several level crossings, to build three new road bridges, and access bridges at three stages.
The level crossings are expected to close in 2026 with the opening of the City Rail Link, but the bridges will not be built until 2032.
Automobile Association policy director Martin Glynn told RNZ the delay would mean more congestion in the interim.
“The barrier arms will be down for much longer; so more queuing, longer delays, and increased safety risks,” he said.
In a statement, National Road Carriers’ general manager James Smith said the opening of the City Rail Link will mean more frequent timetables causing barrier arms to be down up to 50 minutes per hour.
He said businesses, light industry, and commuters in South Auckland would be left grappling with severe congestion and economic harm while waiting for these essential crossings to be built.
“Takanini, a key hub for Auckland’s light industry, is already burdened with chronic traffic congestion,” Smith said.
“The planned level crossing closures, without timely level crossing replacements, will cause severe disruption to freight and transport operators.
“Many businesses are already considering relocating due to the uncertainty and inefficiencies caused by Auckland Transport’s failure to deliver integrated planning.”
Smith said businesses and commuters were now staring down the barrel of six years of detours between level crossing closures and the eventual construction of grade separated crossings.
“Six years of economic harm is simply not acceptable. These vehicle crossings must be fast-tracked and built with urgency.
“Auckland Transport has no excuse for this planning failure – integrated planning between road, rail, and freight networks is standard practice in transport infrastructure projects world-wide.”
rnz.co.nz
