Transit New Zealand has been asked to accelerate the development of a US$252M, 600m long road tunnel in Auckland’s north shore area (T&TI March, p11).
North Shore city mayor George Wood said he wanted the Victoria Park tunnel completed in 2010, four years earlier than currently planned. The NZ Council for Infrastructure Development has also urged that the tunnel should open in 2010. The project has already been brought forward by a year and construction is due to start in 2008.
The three-lane tunnel would be built using cut and cover through Victoria Park. It would provide a northbound route for traffic using the harbour bridge. The existing bi-directional viaduct which spans the park would be converted for sole use by southbound traffic once the tunnel is built.
The mayor’s comments coincided with the start of initial site investigation and borehole drilling by Transit New Zealand for ground conditions for the tunnel.
T&TI was told earlier this year that plans call for a tunnel 17m wide with a 5.1m vertical clearance for vehicles and an allowance of 1.8m for services. The roadbed will be 12m below ground level.
