Northcote Point wharf closed for foreseeable future

Friday, 10 August 2018

Whether to repair or replace the closed Northcote Point wharf is to be decided on by Auckland Transport.

Ferry commuters remain in limbo as decisions on the repair or replacement of Auckland's Northcote Point wharf continue.

Determining the exact extent of the damage to the deteriorating Northcote Point wharf was more complex than Auckland Transport expected.

The wharf was closed on June 20 when routine maintenance inspections found wooden structural pieces of the wharf had become dilapidated.

Some parts of the wharf were more than 50 years old.

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'Testing and analysis of Northcote wharf has been far more complex than anticipated, hence the delay in updates about the wharf and its reopening,' AT's media advisor James Ireland said.

'AT is now working through a decision-making process around the repair or replacement of the wharf, which involves cost estimates, availability of funding and overall timings.'

Ferry services will not operate until a decision has been made.

Kaipātiki Local Board deputy chairwoman Danielle Grant said AT had advised an estimated time frame of nine months to complete the design, tender process, material delivery time and physical works.

The local board will be presented with design options in the coming months, Grant said.

Since the wharf closure, local politicians have put pressure on AT to upgrade to an all-weather ferry terminal.

North Shore councillor Richard Hills said for the last eight years he had pushed AT to consider upgrading the wharf to make it a more reliable service.

In July, the Kaipātiki Local Board proposed putting $2 million, from the local board transport capital fund, towards a wharf upgrade.

An upgrade of the wharf was put forward in the draft Regional Land Transport Plan, but the project, expected to cost $11 million, did not get funding in the council's 10-year budget.

Despite the unexpected closure, AT said the Northcote Point wharf had had regular maintenance.

'Over the past five years alone damaged pendants and damage to the gangway platform from berthing have been repaired, handrail and deck fixings have been replaced, two piles were jacketed, some cross braces and bearers were replaced, along with four fender piles, and the main deck has been skinned,' Ireland said.