Heather du Plessis-Allan: No way the second harbour crossing will begin construction in 2029

Come on, are we really going to play this game?

Where we all pretend that just because Chippy and Michael Wood announced they would start building the new Auckland harbour crossing by 2029, that it’s actually going to happen? 

2029 is six years away, it’s not happening.

Here’s why; because this is what happens in construction in six years.

Light Rail- Six years ago, 2017, Jacinda Ardern promised Auckland she would build Light Rail. 

Six years on, they haven’t even started construction and that’s on a project she thought would be finished more than a year ago already. 

Let's Get Wellington Moving- Six years ago, they were at exactly the same phase as this second crossing is, with four options to choose from.

Six years on, they have one pedestrian crossing. 

Then on top of that, add the fact that we don’t even have enough construction workers in this country to deal with the projects we’re dealing with already, never mind this.

We still have to rebuild State Highway 5 to Napier, State Highway 25A to the Coromandel, the road from Wairoa to Gisborne and all of the roads and bridges out all over Hawke’s Bay and the Gisborne region.

All the homes, all the buildings, all the infrastructure, that's going to take a long time to rebuild.

We are still, to this day, rebuilding from the Christchurch earthquake 12  years ago.

Don’t get me wrong, I want this second harbour crossing, but I'm not going to fall for this trick of announcing they’re doing it earlier.

This is just a cynical and deliberate attempt to move us on from the Stuart Nash stuff. This is a giant, bridge-shaped distraction.

Come on.

Yes we’ll eventually get this crossing, but not by 2029.

Nice try, Labour.

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