Second Harbour Crossing, Auckland

Second Harbour Crossing is the name given to the proposed second transport link over the Waitemata Harbour in Auckland, New Zealand. The second link would supplement the Auckland Harbour Bridge which is nearly at capacity and also provide more redundancy and added public transport linkages between Auckland City and North Shore City. It is sometimes also called the Third Harbour Crossing, as the Greenhithe Bridge also exists.

Discussed since shortly after the Auckland Harbour Bridge was first built (and quickly reached capacity before being widened), the proposed crossing has by now (2008) been narrowed down from around 160 alignment options to a multi-tunnel link somewhat east of the existing bridge. However, the project is at least a decade away from funding as of the late 2000s. The project itself would likely take between 5 and 15 years once started, according to the New Zealand Transport Agency. In late 2009, the current National government declared it a priority in the new 20-year infrastructure plan.

Even at the time the clip-on additions to the Auckland Harbour Bridge were being installed in 1969, predictions already noted that the increased bridge capacity would last only until about 1985. Even with the clip-on sections and the traffic management in place, the Harbour Bridge was soon experiencing congestion during rush hours again. Various plans were proposed for a second link in the following decades, including one connecting from Meola Reef to Birkenhead, though the idea was abandoned in the 1970s after public outcry.

It was expected that traffic congestion would only get worse as North Shore City grew further, and Auckland City became more densely settled. Therefore, there was growing pressure for another harbour crossing. Many had also suggested that reliance on the harbour bridge as a single asset (which might experience failure via an earthquake or other disaster) is not in the interests of either Auckland or New Zealand.

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