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.
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.
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.
The third lane in the Victoria Park Tunnel is now open. When using the Victoria Park Tunnel please:
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.
Final motorway paving is now complete. Still left to do is:
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.
Concrete Sustainability Awards
NZ Contractors Federation
NZTA’s GEM awards for customer service
Public Relations Institute of NZ
NZ Contractors Federation
Roading New Zealand Excellence Awards
International Road Federation
