Vital link’s failure a bridge too far for many businesses

After several temporary closures, it was announced in March the pedestrian bridge on Wynyard Quarter would remain closed “until further notice”. In a statement released by Auckland Council’s urban regeneration organisation, Eke Panuku, it said technical work has been under way since November to resolve issues associated with the bridge.

“Earlier this month, a technical fault was discovered with the bridge’s cabling. When repair works were undertaken, a deeper fault was found with the bridge’s winch. This may require significant work to resolve.”

It was one of many technical problems that have plagued the $3.7 million bridge during the past few months. The drawbridge lurched through summer with various issues, forcing its temporary closure on some occasions.

Initially, the structure broke in November last year when its hydraulic brake sensors failed. It was reopened a week later, however, on January 12, another “intermittent” fault was discovered and it was closed again.

Current efforts to get the bridge working again could take up to nine months, but frustrated business owners cannot wait that long.

Angry restaurant and bar operators are facing a huge drop in revenue and are calling for more urgent action from the council, with some saying even that will be too late to save some jobs.

Local business operators are now making difficult cost-cutting decisions: reducing hours for staff, opening late or closing early and, even worse for some, laying off workers.

They fear some waterfront eateries could close for good. Deputy Mayor Desley Simpson says the long-term closure of the bridge is becoming a “reputational issue” for the city.

From next Saturday, free ferries will take pedestrians across Auckland’s Viaduct basin while the bridge remains out of action. Each of the small ferries used in the trial will be able to transport 60 people, between Te Wero Island and Karanga Plaza, on the outward side of the marina.

Statistics collected in 2022 show an average of 6574 pedestrians used the bridge on a typical weekday, while 9094 used it at the weekend. The bridge lifted about 25 times a day, taking about five minutes each time.

In the meantime, there’s no rent relief for struggling business owners in the area, no free car parking to attract customers, and no concrete date for reopening the bridge.

Sure, the bridge will reopen again in a few months but that structure, built in 2011, was only ever intended as a temporary solution. Yet, no plan for a more permanent solution seems to exist. In fact, a new bridge, costing tens of millions of dollars, appears to be totally out of the question, in an age of council and public spending cutbacks.

Will we just continue to patch things up as we go, ad infinitum?

Aucklanders have been through a lot in the past few years. From the long Covid lockdowns to the deadly floods, the city has been trying to rebuild itself from multiple disasters. The people who call Auckland home deserve a city that works and they deserve to know those in charge are invested in a longterm vision for the city’s future. Is expecting our infrastructure to simply function a bridge too far?