Auckland's Quay St makeover sees $13m budget blowout over rain gardens

Sunday, 17 November 2019

The greening of downtown Auckland, including rain gardens that treat stormwater, has led to a $13 million budget blowout in the Quay St makeover programme.

Up to 50 new gardens with 200 native trees are being installed as part of the programme, which aims to make the area more pedestrian-friendly in time for the 2021 America's Cup.

But they have contributed to a 20 per cent increase in the cost of the project – from $59.2 million to $72.2m.

The project will bring 50 gardens and 200 trees to downtown Auckland.

Extra work at the intersection of Quay and Commerce streets had also been added to the project due to an extra bus stop at Britomart not going ahead, Eric Van Essen, Auckland Transport's downtown programme director, said.

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An artist's impression of the rainwater gardens shows how they help treat stormwater.

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Auckland Council did not answer questions about whether the timeframe for the work would also blow out, causing more congestion pain for commuters.

The rain gardens were added at the request of iwi and Auckland Council's stormwater team, Healthy Waters, which contributed $6m to the costs.

Healthy Waters general manager Craig Mcilroy said the project provided a fantastic opportunity to improve the water quality of the Waitemata Harbour and Hauraki Gulf.

'Auckland Council is fully aligned with mana whenua's goals of improved water quality throughout the region, and is working with Auckland Transport to deliver a world-class infrastructure project that protects and enhances the life-supporting capacity of Auckland's water.'

Extra funding for projects such as those came from Auckland Council's water quality targeted rate, introduced in 2018 after Aucklanders said they were keen to support cleaner beaches.

The council Long-Term Plan 2018-2028 sought to create swimmable beaches from Meola Reef to the Viaduct through upcoming stormwater upgrade projects.