Photo: RNZ / Finn Blackwell
- Auckland Businesses are relieved the public will soon be able to use the Wynyard Crossing Bridge
- Eke Panuku says its aiming to re-open the bridge this week
- Advice from contractor, SRG Global, revealed vegetable oil may have caused parts to corrode
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the bridge would be open to 11.30am. This has been corrected to 11.30pm.
A popular pedestrian bridge in Auckland CBD is expected to re-open this week.
The beleaguered bridge connecting Wynyard Quarter to the Viaduct, which saves people a 20-minute walk, had been undergoing major repairs since March.
But problems with the bridge preventing people from using it began in January, causing strife for waterfront bars cut off from city foot traffic.
Auckland Council's development agency, Eke Panuku, said it was aiming for testing and inspections to be completed by Friday, but would not confirm a re-opening date.
Once open, the agency said the bridge would initially be accessible between 7.30am to 11.30pm, for any issues that arose to be rectified.
Frustrated restaurant owner Tricky Hartley said a structural bridge engineer advised him the bridge could have been fixed in three months.
The Conservatory owner said the engineer told him parts from Italy could have been sourced locally.
"He came into our venue to tell us in his opinion it was a 12-week job if from the start they'd taken the arms of the bridge off, put them in articulated lorries, taken them to warehouses, started the work there, and got parts from Auckland instead of Italy."
Documents obtained by RNZ under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act showed that replacement hydraulic pumps and motors from a factory in Northern Italy had an estimated delivery time of 16 weeks.
The advice given to Eke Panuku in 2017 and 2020 from its maintenance contractor at the time, SRG Global, also revealed it was "gravely concerned" about the "very uncommon" use of vegetable oil-based hydraulic fluid. SRG Global had managed the bridge since 2012 but was not responsible for the vegetable oil.
An inspection in August 2017 determined the vegetable oil may have caused the hydraulic pumps and motors to rust, requiring them to be replaced.
"One of the reasons for some of the hydraulic system failures and wear of components has been the use of a vegetable-based oil, which appears to deteriorate much faster than a traditional mineral oil.
"The original argument for using vegetable oil was that a major spill into the harbour would not have the same environmental implications as mineral oil.
"There has not been a spill into the harbour since 2011 and any oil that does leak is contained by the drip tray under the power pack or in the floor of the engine room."
The inspector advised mineral oil be used on any replacement power unit.
The advice also showed that when the bridge was built in 2011, it was designed to have a short life span of five years.
Hartley said the council had failed businesses in the area.
He said while the bridge was closed, their sales had plummeted 60 percent.
'This has taken 11 months to repair when apparently it was a 12-week job.
"It shows a lack of concern and consideration from Auckland Council in doing this.
"There has been a lack of effort in my opinion to get this done in time."
He said Eke Panuku would not give them an exact date, but he was pleased the bridge would be operational soon.
"Wynyard Quarter is in desperate need of revitalisation. It's our lifeline to the city.
"All the venues down here are ready to welcome everyone back."
Eke Panuku said: "It would not be appropriate for us to respond to someone else's assumptions, particularly if they have not been involved with this particular bridge.
"It is also hard to comment without understanding exactly what parts are being referred to. We searched extensively for replacement parts in New Zealand but as there were no off-the-shelf options available to us for some, we had no option other than to bring in replacement parts from overseas.
"The bridge has undergone significant maintenance over the past nine months, incorporating mechanical, electrical works and structural remedial works to address extensive corrosion. Completing these works in a shorter time frame would not have been possible."
Eke Panuku denied claims that repairs to the bridge could have been done quicker.
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