怀特玛塔港跨海通道项目公布下一步计划

政府将就新增怀特玛塔港跨海通道（Waitematā Harbour Crossing，WHC）的不同方案开展详细商业论证（Detailed Business Case，DBC），研究项目的融资、资金安排及建设实施模式。

政府同时宣布：

• 项目今后将由中央政府主导，并任命一名高级责任官员（Senior Responsible Officer，SRO），直接向部长汇报；
• 如果奥克兰市议会有兴趣，内阁同意进一步研究 Meola Reef（米奥拉礁） 方案，奥克兰市议会将受邀参与；
• 政府还将考虑一项由国际企业财团提出的市场主导方案（Market-Led Proposal，MLP），研究采用创新施工方法升级现有奥克兰海港大桥。

交通部长 Chris Bishop 和奥克兰事务部长 Simon Watts 宣布了联合政府针对怀特玛塔港跨海通道项目下一阶段工作的决定。

Bishop 表示，现有奥克兰海港大桥于1959年建成，是新西兰国家公路网络中最繁忙的交通走廊之一，每天承载约17万辆汽车通行。该交通走廊目前支撑着每年约10亿新西兰元的经济活动，预计到2051年将增加至39亿新西兰元。

“但目前这条交通走廊受到大桥承载能力的限制。现有的重量限制已经对货运车辆和公交车造成制约，而缺乏专用公共交通车道，也限制了北部快速公交系统（Northern Busway）发挥更大作用。目前每天通过大桥的人群中，有40%使用北部快速公交系统。”

Bishop 表示，这些限制未来只会越来越严重。

未来几十年，大桥需要进行大规模维修和更新，这将导致车道长时间关闭。如果届时没有新的跨海通道投入使用，相关交通中断预计将造成约48亿新西兰元的经济损失。

“这是一个我们无法接受的结果。我们需要确保奥克兰——新西兰的经济引擎——保持互联、高效，并为未来的增长和繁荣做好准备。建设新的跨海通道具有充分的必要性，我们致力于推动这一项目。”

Bishop 表示，怀特玛塔港跨海通道项目很可能成为新西兰历史上规模最大、成本最高的基础设施项目。

“我们必须把这个项目做好，因为新西兰的财政状况、经济表现，以及作为一个现代化、运行良好的发达国家的声誉，都与项目能否成功密切相关。”

他表示，要把项目做好，就必须根据已经掌握的地下和海港底部实际情况决定最终建设什么，而不能仅仅选择纸面上看起来可行的方案。

政府还必须明确：

• 新项目能够负担多少成本；
• 如何筹集资金；
• 采用什么方式建设；
• 如何与奥克兰整体交通网络衔接；
• 并且在政府最终确定首选方案之前，充分听取奥克兰居民和反对党的意见，而不是在决定之后才进行咨询。

Bishop 表示，2024年10月，政府已经公布了对该项目的要求，并要求新西兰交通局（NZTA）对表现最佳的桥梁和隧道方案进行详细分析。

此后，NZTA 大幅推进了项目工作，包括通过**价值工程（value engineering）**降低成本，并首次针对施工要求开展详细尽职调查，包括地质技术调查。

“看到驳船进入港口开展海床和地质条件测试非常令人鼓舞——此前我们进行的还只是桌面研究。”

2026年5月，NZTA 完成了投资案例（Investment Case），并于5月15日由 NZTA 董事会批准了首选方案——隧道。

不过，Bishop 表示，尽管项目已经取得重大进展，在内阁确定最终首选方案之前，仍需要更多信息和进一步工作。

鉴于项目规模和复杂程度，内阁决定进行一项独立主导的详细商业论证（DBC）。

这项工作将进一步研究项目的融资和资金安排，以及建设实施模式，同时也将从更广泛的角度考虑奥克兰整体交通网络，包括：

• NZTA 的奥克兰高速公路规划；
• 任何可能实施的按使用时间收费方案；
• 以及随着奥克兰交通治理改革而制定的30年奥克兰综合交通规划。

WHC 的详细商业论证将由一名独立的**高级责任官员（SRO）**负责，该官员将直接向财政部长、交通部长和奥克兰事务部长以及内阁负责。

政府将在全球范围内寻找合适人选，希望找到具有相关专业能力和大型项目经验、能够承担责任并推动项目实施的人士。

Bishop 表示，世界各国建设类似大型基础设施项目都得出了一个相同的经验：项目最终花费的资金和所需时间往往超过最初估计。

这并不一定是工程技术本身的问题，而更多是由于项目规模庞大、建设周期长，以及涉及大量审批和决策者。

“这是一个治理问题，而治理问题需要通过治理来解决。”

Bishop 表示，中央政府是项目最终决策者，同时掌握资金安排并承担相关风险，因此政府必须能够直接指导项目。

NZTA 在前期工作中发挥了重要作用，并将继续参与项目实施，但内阁认为，该项目今后应该直接向部长汇报。

SRO 将由一个指导小组支持。指导小组成员将包括：

• 新西兰财政部高级代表；
• NZTA；
• National Infrastructure Funding and Financing Ltd；
• Ministry of Cities, Environment, Regions, and Transport；
• 独立成员；
• 以及奥克兰区域交通委员会主席。

奥克兰事务部长 Simon Watts 表示，政府重视与奥克兰市以及奥克兰居民开展有意义的合作。

奥克兰市长 Wayne Brown 此前明确表示，他认为通过 Meola Reef 建设一条交通走廊，比 NZTA 目前提出的方案更好。

Meola Reef 方案过去已经多次进行研究，但此前一直被认为难以实施。

不过，为体现善意，同时考虑到政府在《奥克兰城市协议》（Auckland City Deal）下承担的责任，内阁已经同意，如果奥克兰市议会有兴趣，将进一步研究这一方案。

这项研究将由 WHC 项目的 SRO 独立于 NZTA 之外负责。

奥克兰市议会将受邀参与研究范围制定和采购工作，并承担50%的研究成本。

此外，政府还收到一家信誉良好的国际财团提交的市场主导方案（MLP），提出采用创新施工方法升级现有海港大桥。

Bishop 表示，政府官员已经建议推进这一方案，并将其纳入 WHC 项目的详细商业论证阶段。

“这正是市场主导方案程序存在的意义。如果私营部门拥有创新理念和解决方案，我们希望认真考虑。政府当然并不垄断好的想法。”

Bishop 批评过去一些政府在尚未充分研究项目成本、融资方式以及项目可实施性的情况下，就直接宣布建设方案。

“本届政府不打算犯同样的错误。”

政府还计划在最终确定方案之前，与反对党和奥克兰居民进行有意义的咨询。

Bishop 表示，该项目将跨越多个国会任期和多个政府，因此让所有主要政党参与并支持这一过程非常重要。

政府预计这一阶段的工作将在2027年完成。

届时，政府将研究详细商业论证报告，其中包括 Meola Reef 方案研究以及市场主导方案，然后再决定最终的跨海通道首选方案。

Watts 表示：“我们今天宣布的这些措施，是为了确保这个项目从一开始就建立在尽可能好的基础上。”

“正如 Brown 市长所说，项目不会突然出问题——项目往往是一开始就没有做好。我完全同意这一点。因此，我们现在要确保这个项目，以及更广泛的奥克兰，都能够为未来的成功打下良好基础。”

Next steps on Waitematā Harbour crossing

Government will undertake a Detailed Business Case (DBC) on options for an additional Waitemata Harbour Crossing (WHC), including looking at funding and financing and delivery
Project will now be Crown-led with a Senior Responsible Officer (SRO) reporting directly to Ministers
Cabinet has agreed to commission a further study into Meola Reef, if the Council is interested. The Council will be invited to contribute.
Government will also consider a Market-led proposal for an innovative construction methodology to upgrade the existing bridge.

The Coalition Government has made decisions on next steps for the Waitematā Harbour Crossing project, Transport Minister Chris Bishop and Auckland Minister Simon Watts have announced. 

“The existing Auckland Harbour Bridge was completed in 1959 and forms part of the busiest corridor of the State Highway network in New Zealand, carrying 170,000 vehicles daily. It underpins almost $1 billion in annual economic activity, with this activity projected to increase to $3.9 billion by 2051,” Mr Bishop says.

“But the corridor is currently limited by the performance of the bridge. Weight restrictions already constrain freight and buses, and the lack of dedicated public transport (PT) lanes prevents us making the best use of the Northern Busway, which today carries 40% of all people crossing the bridge. 

“These limitations are only going to become more acute. Major renewals are needed in the coming decades, with extended lane closures. Without an additional crossing in place, the total economic cost of that disruption is estimated at around $4.8 billion. 

“That is not an acceptable outcome. We need Auckland – New Zealand’s economic engine room – connected, productive, and set up for growth and prosperity. The case for a new crossing is strong, and we are committed to delivering it.

“The WHC project will likely be the largest and most expensive infrastructure project ever undertaken in New Zealand. It is imperative that we get it right because New Zealand’s fiscal position, economic performance, and reputation as a modern, functional, first-world country depends on it. 

“Getting this project right means figuring out what we are going to build based on what we’ve found in the ground and under the harbour, not just what works on paper. It means being up front about what we can afford, how we will pay for it, how we will deliver it, and how it will fit into the wider Auckland network. It also means talking to Aucklanders and the Opposition before the Government endorses a preferred option – not after. 

“In October 2024, we set out the Government’s expectations for the project and requested the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) undertake detailed analysis of the highest performing bridge and tunnel options for the WHC project. 

“Since then, NZTA has significantly advanced the WHC project, including value engineering to reduce costs and due diligence on construction requirements for the first time such as geotechnical investigations. It was fantastic to see a barge in the harbour performing seabed and ground condition testing – up until then, only desktop studies have been done. 

“In May 2026, NZTA completed an Investment Case, and on 15 May 2026 the NZTA Board endorsed a preferred option – a tunnel.

“Despite the great progress that has been made, more information and work is required before Cabinet can select a preferred option.

“Given the scale and complexity of this project, Cabinet has agreed that an independently led DBC is needed. This will allow us to do further work required on funding and financing, and delivery model options. It will also allow us to consider the Auckland transport network more broadly including NZTA’s Auckland Motorway Plan, any time-of-use charging scheme, and the 30-year Auckland Integrated Transport Plan to be developed as part of the Auckland Transport governance reforms.

“The WHC DBC will be independently led by a Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) who will answer directly to the Ministers of Finance, Transport, and Auckland, and Cabinet. 

“We will look globally to find the right person for this critical role – someone with the expertise and experience to deliver who we will hold to account. 

“Every country that has built a megaproject this size has learned the same lesson: they cost more and take longer than the first estimates suggest. Not necessarily because of the engineering, but because of scale, duration, and the number of approvals and decision-makers involved along the way. That’s a governance problem, and it has a governance solution. 

“The Crown is the decisionmaker, it holds the funding levers, and it carries the risk, so we need to be able to direct the project. NZTA has done good work to get us to this point and will remain central to delivery, but it’s Cabinet’s view that the project should directly report to Ministers.

“The SRO will be supported by a Steering Group comprised of senior representatives from Treasury; NZTA; National Infrastructure Funding and Financing Ltd; the Ministry of Cities, Environment; Regions, and Transport; independent members; as well as the Board Chair of the Auckland Regional Transport Committee. 

“It’s important that we work meaningfully with Auckland and Aucklanders,” says Mr Watts. 

“The Mayor of Auckland has expressed a strong view that a corridor solution at Meola Reef is a better idea than NZTA’s proposals. The Meola Reef option has been looked at many times in the past before and discounted as unachievable, but in the spirit of good faith, and recognising the Government’s responsibilities under the Auckland City Deal, Cabinet has agreed to commission a further study into the option, if the Council is interested.

“This study would be commissioned by the WHC project SRO, independent from NZTA. Auckland Council will be invited to contribute to the study’s scoping and procurement, and to fund 50 percent of the cost of the study.” 

“In addition, the Government has also received a Market Led Proposal (MLP) from a reputable international consortium for an innovative construction methodology to upgrade the existing bridge. Officials have recommended that this proposal advance and be integrated as part of the detailed business case phase of work on the WHC project,” Mr Bishop says. 

“This is exactly what the MLP process is for. If the private sector has innovative ideas and solutions, we want to consider those. The Government certainly doesn’t have a monopoly on good ideas.

“Previous governments have gone out and announced what they are going to build before they have done the work required around how much it will cost, how they are going to pay for it, and whether the project is deliverable. This Government does not intend to make the same mistake. 

“It is also our intention to consult meaningfully with the Opposition and Aucklanders before endorsing an option. This project will span multiple Parliaments and multiple governments – it is important that all serious political parties buy-in to the process.

“We expect this next phase of work to be completed in 2027. The Government will then consider the DBC, which will include the Meola Reef study and the market-led proposal, before making decisions on a preferred crossing option.”

“The actions we’ve announced today are to ensure that the project starts on the best possible footing. As Mayor Brown has said, projects don’t go wrong – they start wrong. I couldn’t agree more, that’s why we are making sure we set this project and, by extension, Auckland up for success.”