OPINION: The big question is not why, just two months later, the government appears to be re-thinking its ambitious plan for $685 million cycling and walking bridge across Auckland’s Waitematā Harbour. The only thing which is certain is that if the goal is to be achieved, there will have to be a lot fewer cars making a lot fewer trips on roads, including the existing Auckland Harbour Bridge. And if that happens, how does that change the long-held belief that a major new Auckland harbour crossing is “when, not if.”Waka Kotahi NZTA/Supplied A new Northern Pathway got the green light, to allow walkers and cyclists to cross the Auckland Harbour. Despite the uncertainty about how real demand for an additional harbour crossing might change, Waka Kotahi and Auckland Transport have begun work on a business case for a rapid-transit crossing. That crossing may well render both a new walking and cycling bridge, and some of the capacity of the existing harbour bridge, superfluous.

Source: Stuff August 09, 2021 17:00 UTC