Construction on a second Waitematā harbour crossing will begin in 2029, the Government announced this morning as it unveiled five options: tunnels, bridges or a combination of both.
The Government also confirmed that for the first time, there will be a regular walking and cycling connection across the harbour.
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins told media at the announcement this morning that “the second harbour crossing has just become real”
And he says the massive infrastructure mission would “become the backbone of a modern, integrated transport system that can compare with the best city transport networks anywhere in the world”.
As Marama starts culture wars against white cis males and the woke activists assault people they disagree with, Labour strategists are screaming every time they hear the Greens speak right now.
The desperate need to change the media narrative back to Bread and Butter infrastructure issues is what is behind this sudden desire to announce something being built in the 2040s being brought forward to the 2020s, but these infrastructure upgrades have been seriously discussed since Chippy won.
Sure the timing is opportunistic, but the logic behind the need to move this forward is sound.
While we are at it, we need a tunnel crossing between the North and South Island as well.
Labour want to talk about the material issues impacting voters, but the Greens and the middle class woke activists want a culture war.
Let’s see who voters reward in the next round of polls.
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Neither. The polls will stay relatively settled until winter settles in, the hospitals overflow, crime spikes and otherwise the economy is in recession. The stale turd on the other side has all the impact of a 90yr farting.
Yes Auckland needs a second Harbour crossing. I look forward to Wood stuffing it up as he has with every major transport and/or infrastructure project he gets involved in. I mean look to cycle lanes, light transport and walking lanes dominating.
Bring back Tywford at least he was entertaining with his St. Schultz impersonation
Oh, WOW, they’re back on the bridge buzz..
I’ll just leave it at that.
Simon Bridges 10 bridges?
The woke assault WOMEN they disagree with. Yes and I know a man at the protest was assaulted.
And terfs stigmatize, delegitimize and marginalize – You win.
Calling women “TERFs” for expressing concerns that trans absolutism might lead to violence against women – which is exactly what happened on Saturday – doesn’t “stigmatize, delegitimize and marginalize” them? How about we show some compassion and respect for the human rights of everyone involved, on all sides?
100% Sister!
Women who want to be safe and keep their daughters safe are not TERFS or Hate Speakers or NAZIs.
Just as most trans men and woman are just living their best life and we wish them the best.
The issue here is not TransPhobia, it is about the ‘Intersection of Rights”.
Trans Absolutists want to paint that as Transphobia because it is a great way to get People cancelled. Just the same as Maori Activists yelling “Racist’ if someone says “Can we talk about Co Governance?”
An announcement about an announcement.
What about announcing the fact the Labour government sponsored the violent trans groups on the weekend?
oh ffs. Will some one please give Martyn a map, an nautical chart and google a geological survey so he can understand that building the longest, deepest, and most expensive transport tunnel on the planet isn’t going to happen any time soon…
Yeah, stick a second harbour crossing on the back burner. Bring it out again in another 50+ years as sort of happened with rail in Auckland. That worked out well didn’t it?
“While we are at it, we need a tunnel crossing between the North and South Island as well.”
New Zealand has massive geological problems that would make such a project utterly unfeasible (arguably true for the proposed Auckland tunnel too). Tunnels built on (or near) earthquake fault lines are 100% guaranteed to eventually be an expensive disaster since there is a finite chance (i.e. it will happen sooner or later) that such an event will happen without warning.
‘The Press Christchurch’ ran a story in which they interviewed experts and the minister regarding what would be required.
A rail tunnel would be 13½ miles long (⅗ the length of the Channel Tunnel, making it the third longest in the world). The tunnel itself would cost about $3.7 Bn., servicing one million passengers per year, and freight traffic worth $1 Bn. per annum.
Infrastructure analyst Grant McLachlan studied the question, and wrote an article for the Packer-Fairfax newspapers. He believed that tolls on shipping and passengers would eventually fund the expenses. He also believed the route would be able to miss both fault lines, and could eventually serve automobile traffic within the same tunnel.
The tunnel would cross from Cape Terawhiti, Wellington Province to Arapaoa Island, Marlborough.
The line would branch off after Takapu Rd. Station (Tawa), pass between Redwood and Churton Park, follow Ohariu Valley Rd. and the Gorge Rd. to Karori Golf Course (via Makara). It would then follow West Substation Rd., down the service road to Oteranga Bay Beach, and into the tunnel at the peninsula.
From the other side it would follow the service roads, enter a short connecting tunnel at Okukari across the narrow inlet to West Head Rd. Then follow existing tracks to Oyster Bay, Hitaua Bay, Rahotia Saddle, and down Port Underwood Rd. back to Picton Station.
Getting back to the Nash dismissal, who voted in staff in the PM’s office to make decisions on the country’s behalf, and to decide whether or not this email or that is important? So now some low level faceless bureaucrats deep in the beehive are running the country?
“Pssst! I’ve got a bridge to sell you…”
Lol, there won’t be anything of the sort…
I’m almost tempted to put up $100 and say I bet you Labour dont erect a bridge in Auckland of this sort in the next 50 years. This is jst more vote winning diversion.
How do you know when Culture Wars are really impacting the Govt?
1. They sack a Minister and lay blame for inaction at the feet of an ex PM? Perhaps
2. Paul Hunt actually comes out and says the Women in Albert Park had their rights curtailed and the law was broken (Is this an alternate reality?)
3 The AM show and Hoskings shred the PM all on the same day. What a sight that was.
or, when the virtue signalling Pundits over at Stuff start hiding their Bylines when reporting on Rainbow coalition news!!
Was on Stuff when I saw the article on Eli Rubashkyn jetting off to NY and for the first time I can remember, there was no name on the Byline , just said something like Auckland Reporter. I have seen those titles before but they are ALWAYS accompanied by a Name.
Somebody does not want to receive torrents of responses!!!
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