Project Introduction

The Victoria Park Tunnel addressed the bottleneck on the Auckland motorway system between Newmarket and the Auckland Harbour Bridge, resulting in safer and more reliable trips for 150,000 vehicles a day.

  • Estimated project cost

    $100 million +
  • Project type

    Road improvements
  • Project status

    Completed

Purpose

The Victoria Park Tunnel project was designed to remove the last major traffic bottleneck on Auckland’s central motorway network and unlock the potential of other significant investment in recent years to improve travel reliability to and around the Auckland's central business district.

The project was prioritised as a road of national significance, to support New Zealand’s economic growth and improve productivity. The project also delivered significant economic benefits during its construction by making maximum use of the local supply chain for supplies and services, with particular focus on import replacement and developing small and medium-sized businesses.

Benefits

  • Improved motorway capacity and safety.
  • Reduced congestion on Victoria Park viaduct.
  • Reduced travel times for freight.
  • Improved access to the Auckland CBD and Port.
  • Bus priority improvements Harbour Bridge to CBD.
  • Better pedestrian access from St Marys/Ponsonby to the CBD and Auckland waterfront.
  • Two heritage buildings – Rob Roy Hotel and Campbell Free Kindergarten – protected.
  • Improved residential environment as a result of noise barriers and urban design and landscaping.
  • New skatepark as part of Victoria Park restoration.

About the project

The Victoria Park Tunnel (VPT) project in central Auckland is now complete. Traffic between the Auckland Harbour Bridge and Central Motorway Junction is flowing freely at all times of the day for the first time in many years.

Urban design initiatives are included to improve the amenity and connectivity of the local area. Among them is a new public plaza in front of the Rob Roy Hotel, a footbridge over the motorway to reconnect land and sea in St Marys Bay and a walkway through St Marys Bay, protected from the motorway by a transparent noise wall.

The 1886-built Rob Roy Hotel is being protected and the heritage Campbell Free Kindergarten – New Zealand’s first purpose-built kindergarten – has been restored as part of the project.

What’s changed on the motorway?

The third lane in the Victoria Park Tunnel is now open. When using the Victoria Park Tunnel please:

  • stay a safe distance from the vehicle in front
  • avoid changing lanes
  • keep moving.

We have also opened a peak lane, operated by moveable lane barriers, between Fanshawe Street and the Auckland Harbour Bridge. This is the fifth northbound lane through St Marys Bay. It opens by 3.30pm on weekdays and can be accessed from both Fanshawe and Beaumont streets. Watch a video animation showing how the peak lane operates at the Fanshawe Street motorway on-ramp.

 

The Victoria Park flyover is in a new permanent layout. You need to be in the correct lane for your destination: check our video animation before you drive. 

 

On your drive, be guided by the big green overhead signs. And get into the right lane early – preferably on your approach to the harbour bridge.

Project update

Final motorway paving is now complete. Still left to do is:

  • Final lane marking, which can only be done once the asphalt on the motorway has cured in May.
  • Final landscaping, at Point Erin and on Victoria Park. This includes turning the site of the old Victoria Park bowling club (which was a site office during construction) into park. The Curran Street compound will remain until mid-year.
  • Completion of the ground floor refurbishment of the Rob Roy Hotel and the new plaza in front of it – in May.

Work on the Jacobs Ladder Footbridge is on hold while the Victoria Park Alliance works through options for completing the cladding. This follows the appearance of crazing on some cladding panels.

The St Marys Bay walkway is fully open although some night closures may be needed when work on the footbridge resumes.

Note that the project office in Beaumont Street has closed. Also, the Hotline has been discontinued. If you have any enquiries about the Victoria Park Tunnel project or ongoing work please email: info@nzta.govt.nz.

Awards for Victoria Park Tunnel project

2010

Concrete Sustainability Awards

  • Winner, Excellence in Concrete for the Community

2011

NZ Contractors Federation

  • Winner, Hynds Group Environmental Excellence (projects over $10M)
  • Winner, Safeguard: NZ Safety Award – Best initiative to encourage engagement in health and safety.
  • Winner, Projects over $10M in value
  • Winner, Supreme Award

NZTA’s GEM awards for customer service

  • Customer care system (improvements)

2012

Public Relations Institute of NZ

  • Winner, Government public relations

NZ Contractors Federation

  • Winner, Projects exceeding $20m

Roading New Zealand Excellence Awards

  • HireQuip Best Practice Award for Environmental Sustainability
  • Z Energy Excellence Award for a Major Road Project

International Road Federation

  • Global Road Achievement Award for Construction Methodology

Our partners on this project