Wayne Brown’s preferred second Waitemat\u0101 Harbour crossing is over Meola Reef. <\/p>\n
The mayor told the Herald in September<\/a> that Auckland Council was being kept in the dark over the feasibility study for a new harbour crossing, and alleged the Government was giving preference to a crossing close to the existing bridge, a claim which Bishop rejected.<\/p>\n Brown\u2019s preferred option<\/a> \u2013 which the Government will be considering amongst a broader business case for the second crossing \u2013 relies on a natural existing lava flow (Meola Reef<\/a>) extending 2km into the harbour to support the new structure.<\/p>\n Brown said the release of the National Infrastructure Plan was another win for the agenda he has been pushing to fix Auckland\u2019s infrastructure woes. <\/p>\n The mayor welcomed the plan, which sets out how planning, funding and the delivery of infrastructure can be improved over the next 30 years. <\/p>\n \u201cTo be honest, I wouldn\u2019t be surprised if they took some of the ideas out of my manifesto. I could\u2019ve written that advice myself. This plan contains some hard truths for our infrastructure sector, and for the Government,\u201d said Brown. <\/p>\n The mayor honed in on concerns the report raised in the approach to transport infrastructure and, in particular, mega projects.<\/p>\n \u201cAuckland is currently in a transport funding crisis. The cost of transport projects that the Government has promised exceeds available funding by tens of billions.<\/p>\n \u201cInflation is too high, design standards are too high, we have over-zealous futureproofing, consent requirements add ridiculous restrictions, and there\u2019s far too much costly bespoke design. <\/p>\n \u201cWe need to focus more on cost and less on world-class. We just want good usable standards,\u201d Brown said.<\/p>\nThe $5.5 billion City Rail Link will open later this year.<\/p>\n