Karanga-a-Hape Station precinct integration project

Construction information

Construction for the improvements started in July 2024 and will run to approximately October 2025.

The work will be completed before the CRL opens to avoid on-going disruption and take advantage of the current construction closures. 

We are co-ordinating construction with Link Alliance and other major projects to minimise impacts on people and businesses.

Work in Pitt Street will allow traffic movements in both directions throughout construction. Mercury Lane is closed to general traffic during construction but will remain open to pedestrians. The upper section of Mercury Lane will reopen as a shared space.

Download the construction staging plans (PDF 3.9MB). These plans and timeframes are preliminary and they may change.

Information for businesses and residents

Throughout the construction, AT and its contractor will:

• ensure the construction site, and surrounding area, remains tidy, safe, accessible, and easy to navigate
• maintain a dialogue with affected businesses, residents and property owners on the progress and impacts of the construction and respond quickly to community feedback
• work with Link Alliance and local businesses to stage the work so that it considers other work that is currently underway or work that is due to be started during the construction period
• minimise, as much as possible, any disruption to normal services, such as rubbish removal and loading and servicing.

We’ve set up a Community Reference Group to keep the community informed about the project and give you the opportunity to ask questions. Join the Community Reference Group.

Karanga-a-Hape Small Business Support Programme 2024

The Auckland Council whānau have built on the existing Link Alliance Small Business Support Programme to expand support for businesses during construction.

This programme includes:

• a free business connector service
• microgrants of up to $3,000 per year
• support for expanded outdoor dining.

For more information, including the grant application form, download the Karanga-a-hape Small Business Support Programme brochure (PDF 730KB).

Project background

Karangahape Road is one of Auckland’s most vibrant, diverse, and creative neighbourhoods where you can find an amazing mix of hospitality and independent retailers.  

When the City Rail Link (CRL) opens, it will be even easier for people to get to and from the Karangahape neighbourhood from south, east and west Auckland. We expect to see up to 40,000 people using the Karanga-a-Hape Station entrances in Beresford Square and Mercury Lane every day.

With these transport improvements in mind, we consulted with the Karangahape community and its many visitors on how the areas around the two Karanga-a-Hape Station entrances could be tied in with the already upgraded parts of Karangahape Road, and the wider neighbourhood. Read the project consultation.

We also conducted 3 design workshops with community representatives. Download the community engagement summary (PDF 4.6MB).

The resulting design makes travelling and spending time in the neighbourhood safe and reliable whether you are living and working there, spending time there, or travelling through.

The design will:

• make it easier, safer, and more intuitive and welcoming for pedestrians to move through the neighbourhood, especially for people arriving and departing from the new Karanga-a-Hape Station entrances
• make it easier for people arriving in the neighbourhood by bike to connect to existing cycling facilities
• improve connections between buses and trains.

What are the changes?

Download the full design drawings (PDF, 5.2MB).

Pedestrian spaces

We want to make it easier, safer and more welcoming for pedestrians to more around. To do this we are:

• creating a new shared space on the upper section of Mercury Lane, connecting the station with the main business area, and where pedestrians will have priority
• installing crossings on Pitt Street, East Street and Canada Street to make it safer for people to cross these roads
• widening footpaths to provide more space for the high volume of pedestrians expected when the station opens
• adding lighting and CCTV surveillance to improve personal safety after dark on Mercury Lane and Cross Street
• adding a public toilet on upper Mercury Lane on behalf of Auckland Council.

Link Alliance will also be making changes to Beresford Square. Find out more about the Karanga-a-Hape Streetscapes and Urban Realm Works.

An update on upper Mercury Lane

When construction is complete, the upper section of Mercury Lane will open as a shared space, depending on the formal approval from the Traffic Control Committee.

We previously announced that upper Mercury Lane would become a pedestrian mall when Karanga-a-Hape Station opens and would operate as a shared space in the meantime. This was based on feedback from public consultation.

However, the proposal to proceed to a pedestrian mall has been deferred until after Karanga-a-Hape Station opens. This is due to the complexity of the process as there are slightly different operational requirements for each section.

The shared space will extend along Mercury Lane from south of the station to the top by Karangahape Road and includes a short section of Cross Street. A special road surface, signage and street furniture will indicate to drivers that this is a slow-speed, shared space where pedestrians have priority. No parking will be available in the shared space.

Auckland Transport’s Network Operations team will monitor the use and safety of the space to determine when further changes may be needed after the station opens. If the shared space is used as safely as intended there may not need to be further changes.

The overall design and construction for Mercury Lane remains the same for a shared space and a pedestrian mall. A shared space requires additional signage, monitoring and road markings, which can easily be removed if required. A pedestrian mall requires physical restrictions for vehicle access. Retractable bollards will be installed during construction to enable this. The bollards will also be installed to protect the station in emergency situations and to close off Mercury Lane for public events.

Vehicle circulation

Due to the streetscape changes, vehicles will move around the area differently. These are permanent changes to the way vehicles will circulate. The vehicle circulation map outlines all the directions that motorists can travel around the area. 

The following changes have already been made:

• a new right turn from Karangahape Road into Upper Queen Street
• Cross Street has reverted to its original direction of travel, from east to west.

On Mercury Lane, there will be three distinct areas for vehicle movements:

• the lower section from Cross Street to Canada Street will be one-way southbound
• a small section between Cross Street and upper Mercury Lane will be two-way to provide access for neighbouring properties, including drivers exiting the lane behind Mercury Theatre will be able to turn left or right.
• the upper section will be one-way northbound with a left turn onto Karangahape Road.

Cycling

To make it easier for people travelling by bike to connect to existing cycling facilities, we are:

• creating separated cycleways linking to existing cycling facilities on Pitt Street and Canada Street
• replacing some existing infrastructure associated with the temporary East Street cycleway with new cycle lanes along Mercury Lane connecting with the station entrance and Karangahape Road
• replacing the rubber cycle separators on East Street, south of South Street, with concrete separators.

Parking and loading

There is limited space within the Karanga-a-Hape Station precinct’s roads. We have reconsidered the location of parking spaces and loading zones.

There will be:

• mobility parking spaces on Cross Street, Beresford Square, East Street and West Terrace
• 5-minute parking (P5) spaces on Canada Street and Beresford Square to allow for pick-up and drop-off
• loading zones on East Street, Galatos Street, South Street, Mercury Lane, Cross Street, Pitt Street, Poynton Terrace, Day Street, and Beresford Square
• a car share parking space on Cross Street
• paid parking spaces on Canada Street, Galatos Street, South Street, West Terrace, Day Street and Beresford Square.

Bus connections

The opening of the CRL and Karanga-a-Hape Station will transform the neighbourhood into a major transport hub, connecting buses and trains from many areas of Auckland. We are:

• creating new bus lanes on Pitt Street between Karangahape Road and Vincent Street and running bus services from west Auckland along here
• adding bus stops outside the Beresford Square station entrance on the western side of Pitt Street
• shifting the eastbound bus stop on Karangahape Road for the City Link, Inner Link, 866 and 966 services closer to the Pitt Street intersection for a better connection with the new station.

This will allow bus services to provide quicker, more reliable journeys which makes them a more realistic transport option for many people. It will also create easier connections for transferring between bus and train.