Overview

Auckland Council and Auckland Transport are getting ready to deliver the next stage of the City Centre Bus Plan. This will improve bus travel along Fanshawe Street, Customs Street and Beach Road. We will also upgrade the area around Lower Hobson Street and Sturdee Street in coordination with Precinct Properties’ redevelopment of the Downtown car park.

By planning and delivering these projects as one, we’ll make it easier to get to and from the city centre, and more enjoyable when you get there.

For you, this means:

• stronger connections to the waterfront
• better transport options
• new and improved public spaces and streets.

The city centre has seen significant disruption in recent years. The Downtown Development Programme will be planned and delivered in stages between 2026 and 2031. The delivery will be coordinated and considered to reduce impacts on people, places and movement through the city.

Bus improvements

We will make improvements to:

• Fanshawe Street
• Customs Street
• Beach Road
• Wynyard Quarter.

Around 30,000 people travel by bus to the city centre every morning. Over the next 20 years, we expect this number to go up by 14,000 people.

As the city has grown, so has the pressure on the bus network. There are now more bus services travelling through and stopping in the city centre. In the downtown area, more than 150 buses per hour end their service at 9 different locations. At the same time, there is increasing demand on city centre road space.

Auckland Council and Auckland Transport will deliver on the City Centre Bus Plan by improving bus travel along Fanshawe Street, Customs Street and Beach Road. We will do this by merging multiple routes into one, high-performing corridor with:

• general traffic lanes
• bus lanes
• upgraded bus stops
• bus layover facilities on Beach Road and in Wynyard Quarter. 

We’re creating a more efficient network with fewer buses idling in the city centre. This will mean:

• faster, more reliable travel for bus passengers
• fewer buses on smaller, inner-city streets, freeing up streets for other uses
• safer and easier transfers between buses and other ways of getting around
• better air quality and lower emissions.

Drivers benefit too. We will open up the one-way section of Fanshawe Street to 2-way travel. This will make access easier for everyone.

Street enhancements

We will make improvements to:

• Lower Hobson Street
• Sturdee Street
• Customs Street.

We will reorganise streets between the Viaduct and Commercial Bay to create a vibrant and attractive area, while still celebrating its unique character and heritage. We will make Sturdee Street 2-way, helping to improve access in and out of the area.

Our goal is a safer, more efficient street network that works better for everyone.

Downtown car park redevelopment

Precinct Properties, in partnership with Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, is leading the redevelopment of the Downtown car park and the expansion of Commercial Bay. Auckland Council and Auckland Transport, in coordination with Precinct Properties, will transform the surrounding streets.

The development will feature new retail, businesses and homes. It is expected to bring over 7,000 people into the city centre. Together with the changes we deliver, it will create a more vibrant, connected and people-centred downtown.

Removal of the Lower Hobson Street flyover

Taking down the flyover will transform the look and feel of the neighbourhood. It will become a more open, welcoming environment for residents, workers and visitors. Taking down the flyover will:

• make space for better public transport
• allow smoother traffic flow
• make it safer to walk and cycle between the city centre and the waterfront.

We will transform the area with safer crossings, spacious footpaths, seating, planting and lighting. We’ll create places to pause, connect, and enjoy, whether you're passing through or staying a while.

Creation of a new public space on Sturdee Street

We’re exploring options for public space at the base of the historic wall, which once marked the shoreline of the Waitematā. In the short term, we’ll make this area more welcoming and usable. The eventual look of the space will be shaped by input from the community and partners, and available funding.

Latest updates

Timeline

The Downtown Development Programme will be planned and delivered from 2026 to 2031.

In 2026, we’ll share more detail on the Downtown Development Programme and seek feedback from the local community.

Design development is underway. We expect it to continue through to 2029. It will shape how downtown spaces look and operate.

We expect to start construction in late 2026, with work to a section of Fanshawe Street between Hobson Street and Lower Albert Street. This is part of longer-term changes to improve bus access.

We will carefully plan and stage construction over several years.

How we minimise the impacts of construction will be a focus of our engagement with people who live in, work in or visit the city centre.

Project background