?Contractors have urged authorities in New Zealand to speed up plans for a second tunnel crossing for Auckland’s Waitemata harbour, and it has been claimed the link could be built in less than half the time proposed.
The New Zealand Contractors Federation (NZCF) has called on Transit New Zealand and Auckland Regional Council to accelerate the development of the proposed US$2.4bn scheme, which is not due for completion until 2020.
But, while welcoming the plan, NZCF chief executive Richard Michael, believes the tunnel could be built faster. He said 2020 “seems a very long way off” and called on the authorities to speed up the plans.
“This crossing is needed as soon as possible and could conceivably be built in five years,” he claimed.
Michael added: “The civil construction industry in New Zealand has the capacity and talent to build this tunnel now and it will be a great step forward for both Auckland and New Zealand. If construction is delayed for that long then the congestion in Auckland will worsen and slow down the economy both in the city and nationally.”
The NZCF comments followed the launch of a study by Transit New Zealand and Auckland Regional Council into the second harbour crossing. The study is due to be completed in March 2008.
