A long road to $152m Pakūranga overpass

Auckland Transport (AT), builders of the flyover with the Eastern Busway Alliance, has told the Times the project has cost $152 million, coming in “more than $4m under budget”. Photos supplied / Anton Benadie, Nigel King, Mark Barber

The much-anticipated Reeves Road Flyover – Rā Hihi – partially opens next week and as ceremonies are held for it today Friday, attended by elected representatives from local and central governments, PJ TAYLOR plots its course to completion.

East Aucklanders have called for road transport solutions for many years now, since the area’s population started growing quickly and substantially in the 1990s.

As the numbers of people living in the east has grown, so has the amount of motor vehicles they drive.

Road routes getting to and from other parts of Auckland have become frustratingly more congested, as many can attest to through their own experiences of gridlock.

It’s not a unique experience for east Aucklanders, as others across the Auckland region have also endured and continue to crawl through annoying over-congestion in their areas daily.

Regular gridlock is a symptom of ongoing growing pains of a popular city that keeps attracting people.

There’s no end in sight and the list of major infrastructure jobs Auckland requires keeps getting bigger, too.

The arrival of the Howick ward’s biggest public infrastructure asset in decades – Rā Hihi, the Reeves Road Flyover – is blessed and celebrated today, September 26, to partially open next Wednesday, October 1.

Two lanes on the Rā Hihi overpass will then be open to vehicles travelling away from the east.

It’s due to fully open with its four lanes operational from Labour Day, October 27.

Publicly elected members today will be jovial and congratulating about the flyover’s delivery, delighted the project has come in under budget and earlier than first anticipated.

Previously, it was due to open early next year, after construction commenced 18 months ago.

Auckland Transport (AT), builders of the flyover with the Eastern Busway Alliance, has told the Times the project has cost $152 million, coming in “more than $4m under budget”.

AT’s also been constant on record saying: “It’s [the flyover] an important part of the Eastern Busway project that will improve travel times and ease congestion in the area.

“Establishing this direct link between Pakūranga Road and the South-Eastern Highway will lead to a reduction in traffic along Pakūranga Road and Tī Rākau Drive, particularly during peak hours.

“Work to build Rā Hihi began in March 2024 and it will take approximately two years to complete,” said AT.

“During that time, access to the Pakūranga town centre, local businesses and homes are being maintained to minimise disruption to the community.”

Despite AT’s messaging, construction work on the flyover project has undoubtedly had a severe negative impact on the economic fortunes of Pakūranga Plaza and the local businesses trading in the Pakūranga town centre precinct, as the Times has reported in a series of news stories over the past year. (Story links below).

The major construction works have gone straight through the middle of the town centre precinct and over it, causing serious disruptions to business and community activities there, including access.

One can only hope, for the sake of the prosperity of people who have businesses at Pakūranga Plaza and in the adjacent area, that AT’s assertion will eventuate: “Boosting the economic vitality and sustainability of east Auckland through improved transport connections.”

Although AT’s positively upbeat about reducing congestion, as many east Aucklanders have pointed out in feedback to the Times over a long period, no one really knows whether the flyover will do that, or just become another congested road especially during peaks.

Time will tell, but it will no doubt be quicker to get from Pakūranga Road to the South-Eastern Highway in other lesser busy periods.

Rā Hihi translates to sun’s rays, or ray of sun, a name description gifted by local iwi, Ngai Tai ki Tamaki.

AT says the unmissable giant structure is “embracing elements of te ao Māori and sustainable design such as the innovative reuse of stormwater runoff and weaving cultural richness into the infrastructure with bespoke mahi toi / artwork”.

Rā Hihi, by numbers

It’s 600 metres long, 18m wide, and 10m high.
There are 17 sections (spans), supported by 16 piers.
The longest span reaches 40m over Tī Rākau Drive.
There are 136 Super T beams, with eight in each section/span.
The heaviest beam weighs 90 tonnes.
There are four lanes for traffic, two for each direction.
Each pile is 30m deep.
It’s made of 11,500 cubic metres of concrete, and 2500 tonnes of reinforcing and pre-stressing steel.
There are 24 foundation piles, 16 that are 3m across, and eight 1.5m across.