The New Zealand Transport Agency has awarded a contract for the designing and consenting phases on the SeaPath walking and cycling project at Auckland’s North Shore to an undisclosed firm. 

The 4m-wide SeaPath will connect to the Auckland Harbour Bridge shared path. The two paths are expected to create a seamless walking and cycling link between Westhaven and Takapuna.

SeaPath project will run along the northern motorway between Northcote Point and Esmonde Road.

Funding for the project is expected to be confirmed in 2021 after the project’s design and consenting work is completed.

New Zealand Transport Agency regional relationships director Steve Mutton said: “We are excited to be delivering both SeaPath and the Auckland Harbour Bridge shared path and it is a priority for us to ensure that they work well together, and we deliver a seamless experience for customers.

“Now that detailed design and consenting can get underway, we will be talking to stakeholders and the community over the next year about more detailed aspects that they can contribute their ideas into, such as the materials we use to build the path and the associated landscaping around it.”

SeaPath provides safe and direct connections to local communities and recreational areas on the lower North Shore.

A business case for Auckland Harbour Bridge will be submitted to the Transport Agency board later this year.

Construction work on the path is expected to commence by the end of 2020 and the work is likely to be completed in two-and-a-half years.