Auckland CBD businesses gain respite from City Rail Link
Inner city business owners will be relieved to see City Rail Link work has ended in Albert St.
Five years of City Rail Link work has come to fruition at the intersection of Albert St and Wolfe St in Auckland's CBD.
Digging up the busy city street for rail tunnels took longer than expected and caused hardship for businesses in the area, said City Rail Link Ltd chief executive Dr Sean Sweeney.
"There have been robust discussions over the years, but we have worked hard with local businesses to find suitable solutions to offset impacts when work fell behind schedule including the introduction of rent assistances scheme for those who qualified,” said Sweeney.
“We hope we are leaving behind a rejuvenated and transformed street.”
Work began in late 2015 on the city rail link section at the lower end of Albert St.
A trench was excavated down the middle of Albert St between Customs St and Wyndham St to build the project’s twin underground tunnels 350-metres long.
At Commercial Bay they connected with the tunnel built from Britomart Station.
Construction also involved relocating an important stormwater line and strengthening a section of a large sewer main.
Tunnel construction finished in mid-2019 and Albert St was back filled up to road level.
Street beautifying followed – building wider pavements, installing new street furniture and lighting, planting native trees and creating bus bays to upgrade public transport.
Sweeney says the end to the work at the lower end of Albert Street is an important milestone.
“Historically it is where CRL’s construction began, but when you look ahead it’s a timely reminder that CRL is a transformational project for the whole of Auckland."
"Alongside that city-wide view we have a commitment to leave a positive legacy locally where we have had to put our spades into the ground.“
Meanwhile, work is continuing from the Wyndham St intersection to extend the city rail link further south along Albert St to join the new Aotea underground station in the city centre.
LIVE Q&A: Financial well-being with Cat Rikihana
Today (Wednesday) we're having another Neighbourly Q&A session. This time with Cat Rikihana who is a financial mentor, educator and financial capability practitioner at Financial Freedom Trust in the Manawatū.
Cat Rikihana (Ngai Tahu) like many financial mentors around Aotearoa, works with individuals, groups and whānau to successfully navigate financial stress and hardship. Mentors work alongside whānau to increase confidence and skills in personal money management and advocate with and for clients. Cat enjoys delivering online and face-to-face workshops which provide opportunities to normalise money conversations and encourages people to make time to consider their financial well-being.
Cat is also an independent financial well-being coach, educator and indigenous life coach at Restore Wellness Network. She is a published writer and currently in the process of writing her first non-fiction book: 'A financial self-care guide for women in Aotearoa.'
She'd love to answer any questions you may have around your budgeting and spending habits, strategies for saving, retirement planning and debt. (Don't be shy, but be mindful about what you disclose!)
↓ Share your questions now and Cat will reply to your comment below ↓
Poll: Have you ever had a scary flight?
A plane flying from Christchurch to Wellington on Sunday had smoke billowing out of the engine and upon landing, passengers had to open the emergency exit and jump out. Have you had any scary flying experiences?
-
57.1% Yes!
-
42.9% No, it's always been smooth flying
Landscape painter
Make your own wall art from leftover MDF and Resene testpots. Nikki Kettle’s abstract piece was inspired by her local environment.
Find out how to create your own with these easy step by step instructions.
Loading…
