The project involved significant reshaping of the transport corridors in central Tauranga, and improved feeder routes into the port, with the most visible element being the construction of Tauranga’s second harbour bridge.
Ian Watson, Beca’s lead engineer onsite, said his team and colleagues at the New Zealand Transport Agency and Fletcher Construction had a shared belief that the new bridge would contribute directly and positively to the wellbeing of the community.
Trip reliability and travel times have improved beyond expectation and the overall outcome has wide community acceptance and support.
Lead planner Christine Ralph and her team worked on the Harbour Link project from 1997, coordinating feasibility studies, options, designations and resource consents.
“The big achievement from my point of view is the retrofitting of this giant piece of infrastructure into the central city community of businesses, residents, motorists and tangata whenua, each group with their own interests and values. The project has endeavoured to acknowledge cultural and heritage values in how it has been constructed and operated.”
Twenty years ago Beca planners and engineers worked as project managers for the first harbour bridge in Tauranga.
Beca project finalists at the NZEE Awards:
- Aorangi House – Finalist Sustainability and Clean Technology Award
- Project Orbit – Finalist Energy Systems Award
- Napier’s Cross Country Drain – Finalist Water, Waste and Amenities Award
- Manukau Harbour Crossing – Finalist Transportation Infrastructure Award
- Tauranga Harbour Link – Finalist Transportation Infrastructure Award.