Victoria Park Tunnel
Encyclopedia
The Victoria Park Tunnel is a motorway tunnel under construction on New Zealand State Highway 1 in Auckland
, New Zealand
. When finished end of 2011, it is to take the northbound traffic off the Victoria Park Viaduct
, which will then be converted to all southbound traffic. It lies mostly under Victoria Park
.
s. By providing more capacity, it will also ensure that the Auckland Harbour Bridge
can be used to its full capacity. Originally called the 'Harbour Bridge to City' project, the official name has now become 'Vic Park Tunnel'.
The tunnel, to initially cost approximately NZ$ 440 million (2009 estimate), later corrected down to $340 million, will be a northbound-traffic carrying structure only, entering the ground in the area of the existing 'Birdcage' heritage pub (which will be relocated to allow the tunnel portal to be built in the area), and will reemerge to the northwest of the park where it will feed into additional lanes provided alongside the St Marys Bay stretch of the motorway. The tunnel will provide three lanes of traffic, and will be 440 m long. Construction was originally to last four years, starting in January 2010, after the new National government fast-tracked further state highways investment.
north of the tunnel, which is itself being replanned as a new mixed use and public park area. In May 2008, Transit New Zealand decided to revisit parts of the already consented plans to ensure that the Vic Park Tunnel design would not conflict with future harbour-crossing tunnels which were now short-listed to possibly connect Auckland City's Spaghetti Junction
to North Shore City and would likely start in the area or run through it. Critics have however raised the question of whether the project should still go ahead when a second harbour crossing might eventually remove the need for the capacity extension that the Vic Park Tunnel is to provide.
In July 2010, NZTA announced that all services (pipes and cables) in the path of the tunnel had been successfully relocated, freeing up the construction zone up for all further works (works not hindered by such services have been proceeding for some time, and construction of the tunnel walls was to finish around middle of July).
Around 160,000 m3 of soil will be removed in the 700m long tunnel trench, with over 100,000 man hours of work/month invested in the project, believed to be the highest of any [New Zealand] roading project. The project is expected to continue until mid 2012, though it is hoped that the general structure of the tunnel, and all work requiring impact on local streets can be completed by the Rugby World Cup 2011.
The Rob Roy Hotel was shifted into its temporary position at the end of August 2010, jacked up on sliding teflon rails and moved in a two-day exercise jokingly referred to as the "slowest pub crawl ever". It will eventually return to be relocated above the tunnel portal.
As part of the works, the Wellington Street on-ramp already had to be closed for a period of several weeks at one time, and is to be closed for several months later in 2011, for the construction of the tunnel approaches and the permanent on-ramp.
In mid 2011, it was announced that the project was ahead of schedule, with traffic being able to use the tunnel as early as November 2011, and all works intended to be completed by February 2012. In early July 2011, construction (but not fit-out) works were finished in the tunnel.
. These works included the construction of new noise barriers of 3-5m height, made of transparent panels, allowing intervisibility between the motorway and the Saint Marys Bay cliffs.
The works at the northern end of the tunnel will including a pedestrian bridge over the widened State Highway 1 connecting the eastern end of Westhaven Marina
and the Western Reclamation
with the 'Jacob's Ladder
' stairway linking to St Mary's Bay
. A number of non-motorway related works will be included in the project, such as restoration work to several heritage buildings in the construction zone, and upgrades to public spaces. In mid 2011, the project team started the construction work to replace a large Skatepark
next to Beaumont Street that had had to be demolished during the work on the tunnel underneath.
The construction works also made a small number of archeological finds, including a 19th Century dual trigger pistol, and various remains of old wharves and retaining walls thought to have been used in the land reclamation works that created Victoria Park.
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. When finished end of 2011, it is to take the northbound traffic off the Victoria Park Viaduct
Victoria Park Viaduct
The Victoria Park Viaduct is a major motorway viaduct carrying the Auckland Northern Motorway over the Victoria Park area in Auckland City, New Zealand...
, which will then be converted to all southbound traffic. It lies mostly under Victoria Park
Victoria Park, Auckland
Victoria Park is a park and sports ground in Auckland City, New Zealand. It lies on reclaimed bay land in Freemans Bay, a suburb directly west of the Auckland CBD. This origin of the land makes it very flat and level...
.
Planning history
The new tunnel is to reduce congestion on the Victoria Park section of State Highway 1, at the Victoria Park Viaduct, an area where delays are becoming more common even in the interpeak between morning and afternoon rush hourRush hour
A rush hour or peak hour is a part of the day during which traffic congestion on roads and crowding on public transport is at its highest. Normally, this happens twice a day—once in the morning and once in the evening, the times during when the most people commute...
s. By providing more capacity, it will also ensure that the Auckland Harbour Bridge
Auckland Harbour Bridge
The Auckland Harbour Bridge is an eight-lane box truss motorway bridge over the Waitemata Harbour, joining St Marys Bay in Auckland with Northcote in North Shore City, New Zealand. The bridge is part of State Highway 1 and the Auckland Northern Motorway...
can be used to its full capacity. Originally called the 'Harbour Bridge to City' project, the official name has now become 'Vic Park Tunnel'.
The tunnel, to initially cost approximately NZ$ 440 million (2009 estimate), later corrected down to $340 million, will be a northbound-traffic carrying structure only, entering the ground in the area of the existing 'Birdcage' heritage pub (which will be relocated to allow the tunnel portal to be built in the area), and will reemerge to the northwest of the park where it will feed into additional lanes provided alongside the St Marys Bay stretch of the motorway. The tunnel will provide three lanes of traffic, and will be 440 m long. Construction was originally to last four years, starting in January 2010, after the new National government fast-tracked further state highways investment.
Full undergrounding option
A future option to also bury the traffic lanes of the remaining southbound viaduct at a later stage was not ruled out. It was initially desired by the local stakeholders but did not go forward, even though the estimates for a replacement of the existing viaduct with a second/wider two-way tunnel envisaged costs of only 50% over the cost of a one-way structure (rather than a doubling of the cost). Transit has noted that the existing viaduct might remain in use for a further 30 years before being replaced with a two-way tunnel structure. Auckland City and Auckland Regional Council however continued to call for an earlier burial of the whole motorway. They have also called for the 'Rob Roy / Birdcage' pub (in the meantime bought by Transit) to be moved over the tunnel entry instead of beside it, to achieve a more attractive gateway and public space for the Freemans Bay community.Interaction with harbour tunnels
The layout of any further traffic changes in the area will also be heavily affected by the plans for a possible second harbour crossing, which some plans see emerging at the Western ReclamationWestern Reclamation
The Wynyard Quarter is a reclaimed piece of land on the Waitemata Harbour at the western edge of the Auckland waterfront, New Zealand....
north of the tunnel, which is itself being replanned as a new mixed use and public park area. In May 2008, Transit New Zealand decided to revisit parts of the already consented plans to ensure that the Vic Park Tunnel design would not conflict with future harbour-crossing tunnels which were now short-listed to possibly connect Auckland City's Spaghetti Junction
Central Motorway Junction
The Central Motorway Junction or CMJ , is the intersection of New Zealand State Highways 1 and 16, just south of the central business district of Auckland, New Zealand...
to North Shore City and would likely start in the area or run through it. Critics have however raised the question of whether the project should still go ahead when a second harbour crossing might eventually remove the need for the capacity extension that the Vic Park Tunnel is to provide.
Construction
In early 2010 preparatory work began near the St Mary's Bay onramp. NZTA announced that the Birdcage hotel (sitting over the site of the future tunnel portal) would be be shifted 40m away temporarily - eventually returning to almost the same site as before, and to become integrated into a new plaza space.In July 2010, NZTA announced that all services (pipes and cables) in the path of the tunnel had been successfully relocated, freeing up the construction zone up for all further works (works not hindered by such services have been proceeding for some time, and construction of the tunnel walls was to finish around middle of July).
Around 160,000 m3 of soil will be removed in the 700m long tunnel trench, with over 100,000 man hours of work/month invested in the project, believed to be the highest of any [New Zealand] roading project. The project is expected to continue until mid 2012, though it is hoped that the general structure of the tunnel, and all work requiring impact on local streets can be completed by the Rugby World Cup 2011.
The Rob Roy Hotel was shifted into its temporary position at the end of August 2010, jacked up on sliding teflon rails and moved in a two-day exercise jokingly referred to as the "slowest pub crawl ever". It will eventually return to be relocated above the tunnel portal.
As part of the works, the Wellington Street on-ramp already had to be closed for a period of several weeks at one time, and is to be closed for several months later in 2011, for the construction of the tunnel approaches and the permanent on-ramp.
In mid 2011, it was announced that the project was ahead of schedule, with traffic being able to use the tunnel as early as November 2011, and all works intended to be completed by February 2012. In early July 2011, construction (but not fit-out) works were finished in the tunnel.
Ancillary works
As part of the tunnel works, additional lanes were constructed between the tunnel and the Auckland Harbour BridgeAuckland Harbour Bridge
The Auckland Harbour Bridge is an eight-lane box truss motorway bridge over the Waitemata Harbour, joining St Marys Bay in Auckland with Northcote in North Shore City, New Zealand. The bridge is part of State Highway 1 and the Auckland Northern Motorway...
. These works included the construction of new noise barriers of 3-5m height, made of transparent panels, allowing intervisibility between the motorway and the Saint Marys Bay cliffs.
The works at the northern end of the tunnel will including a pedestrian bridge over the widened State Highway 1 connecting the eastern end of Westhaven Marina
Westhaven Marina
Westhaven Marina in Auckland, New Zealand, is the largest yacht marina in the Southern Hemisphere. The marina has nearly two thousand berths and swing moorings, and tends to be continually booked...
and the Western Reclamation
Western Reclamation
The Wynyard Quarter is a reclaimed piece of land on the Waitemata Harbour at the western edge of the Auckland waterfront, New Zealand....
with the 'Jacob's Ladder
Jacob's Ladder
Jacob's Ladder is a "ladder to heaven", described by biblical Jacob in the Book of GenesisJacob's Ladder may also refer to:* Ladder of Jacob, a pseudepigraphic text of the Old Testament...
' stairway linking to St Mary's Bay
Saint Marys Bay, New Zealand
Saint Marys Bay is an Auckland suburb- 1800s :mid-1840s George Scott farms the land where 3 Lamps is now.1853 For £1100 Catholic Bishop Pompallier purchases 19ha in the area between 3 lamps and the shoreline from James O’Neill christening it Mount St. Mary.1854 O’Neill’s house becomes St. Anne’s...
. A number of non-motorway related works will be included in the project, such as restoration work to several heritage buildings in the construction zone, and upgrades to public spaces. In mid 2011, the project team started the construction work to replace a large Skatepark
Skatepark
A skatepark is a purpose-built recreational environment made for skateboarding, BMX, aggressive inline skating and scooters. A skatepark may contain half-pipes, quarter pipes, spine transfers, handrails, funboxes, vert ramps, pyramids, banked ramps, full pipes, pools, bowls, snake runs stairsets,...
next to Beaumont Street that had had to be demolished during the work on the tunnel underneath.
The construction works also made a small number of archeological finds, including a 19th Century dual trigger pistol, and various remains of old wharves and retaining walls thought to have been used in the land reclamation works that created Victoria Park.
External links
- Victoria Park Tunnel (the official project website of NZTANew Zealand Transport AgencyThe New Zealand Transport Agency is a New Zealand Crown entity tasked with promoting safe and functional transport by land, including the responsibility for driver and vehicle licensing and investigating rail accidents. It was created on 1 August 2008 by the Land Transport Management Amendment...
) - Vic Park Tunnel (Transit New ZealandTransit New ZealandTransit New Zealand was, from 1989 to 2008, the New Zealand Crown entity responsible for operating and planning the New Zealand State Highway network...
- outdated but still live as of mid 2010) - Victoria Park Tunnel & St Mary's Bay (AucklandMotorways project page)