New Auckland Bridge Planning “Should Begin In 1978”

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31836, 14 November 1968, Page 26

New Auckland Bridge Planning “Should Begin In 1978”

(New Zealand Press Association) AUCKLAND, November 13. The eight-lane Auckland harbour bridge is estimated to reach its full traffic capacity by 1985. Planning for a new facility should, therefore, begin in 10 years time, said the chairman of the bridge authority (Sir John Allum) today.

Sir John Allum was speaking at the unveiling by the Prime Minister (Mr Holyoake) of a plaque commemorating the signing of the bridge-widening contract. The ceremony was held under the south end of the bridge at Westhaven, while traffic rumbled overhead and steelwork clanged on the new extension girders.

Sir John Allum said that the eight-lane bridge would provide a design capacity averaging 72,500 vehicles a day, with an ultimate capacity of 91,000. The total cost of the extensions was more than 8111m—and the bridge now occupied an important place , among toll bridges throughout the world, on traffic being nineteenth out of 101. It also ranked among the widest. Mr Holyoake defended bridge tolls by saying they enabled local communities to finance works by shouldering the burden, or part of it, themselves at a time when taxpayers would not be ready to grant a project top priority.

“It is my wish, and the Government’s wish, that this bridge should become tollfree as soon as possible, but I am not prepared to quote a date on that,” he said. The financial future of the bridge could not be viewed

in isolation. Government consideration of the longterm financial position of al) urban transport should be dealt with simultaneously when the report of the Carter committee on urban transport became available, said Mr Holyoake.