Try Santiago Calatrava for inspirational possibilities with a Cable Stayed Bridge.

The current Auckland Harbour Bridge is a disgrace. From its genesis this structure has always been the steep, cheap connection for moving vehicles propelled by fossil-fuel across the Waitemata harbour.

In the 21st Century it is ridiculous to think Auckland is still totally reliant on fossil fuels to cross the city. It is rueful no plans are being advanced by the Government and Councils to remedy this pathetic reliance in the dawn of climate change, peak oil, hiking oil prices, and increasing evidence of the impact living adjacent to motorways has on population health and the coastal environment .

This old bridge is not a sustainable structure and never has been from an environmental perspective. It stands as an anachronism – adorned with radiating fumes it is a bogun symbol loudly crowning JAFAdom and brutally savaging the Waitemata coastline. It is an embarrassing disgrace with the clippons now closed to heavy trucks,and necessitating urgent unscheduled maintenance. A tunnel crossing is effectively adding just another clippon to support the inadequacies of this gammy pentagenarian.

Auckland needs to demonize the ugly beast as an icon to the love affair of the private car, and carefully choreograph its disintegration to a fireworks display and chords of Don McGlashan’s Harbour Bridge. This festivity should be at the opening of a new bold and heroic bridge spanning from Wynyard Point to Onewa Road. Cuting out the St Mary’s Bay dog-leg, this new bridge will save the Aucklanders 100 million km/yr in the 80 million trips/year, release several kilometres of waterfront (more than the ports sit on), and enable rail to extend/evolve the Northshore.busway. Brunch in Northcote could be a brisk walk or cycle from the CBD adding new commercial opportunities and experiences.

The old bridge could retire with dignity serving its first sustainable gesture as an artificial reef marooned somewhere in the depths of the Hauraki Gulf. Only when sanctioned to this sub-aquatic state will it begin to gravitate a sense of awe and marvel.