Hard News by Russell Brown

Panorama from the viewing point over the south end.

And an even bigger version of the same panorama.

Yup, big alright! I was going to post these on the scuplture thread, but you’ve provided a much more suitable place : ) All taken from the car.

Alice the digger

As in, down the rabbit hole she goes?

Named by a school child in a competition. Tunnel boring machines are always given female names, and NZTA held a contest to name the TBM that we now know as Alice.

Thanks for photos Russell and Nora, was at Kiwi Rd but moved up to Fruitvale–New Lynn, so only see the works from a car lately.

The link does make sense and will quieten down a number of suburban streets alright when operative. But; surely enough of the big roads apart from fixing the Warkworth intersection. I’d like to see the next government stop throttling rail and spend some money there.

Hopefully the neighbours won't have to live next door for 24 years.

It's very gender subversive to give a huge piece of boring machinery a female name. Do they call the tunnel Fred?

It's very gender subversive to give a huge piece of boring machinery a female name.

It'd be more subversive if it was a large piece of interesting machinery :)

Do they call the tunnel Fred?

Nah, Trev. Trev's are useful but not all there.

As I understand it there's no provision for a bus way on the expanded NW motorway - just shoulder lanes. Given the success of the North Shore busway and that the NW is planned to have major greenfields development this seems kind of dumb.

As I understand it there’s no provision for a bus way on the expanded NW motorway – just shoulder lanes.

Correct. NZTA weren't interested. And, of course, no money is available for those kinds of capital works under the current government's policy statement on transport spending. It's all being sucked up by the Roads of (extremely) Dubious Significance.

a huge piece of boring machinery

Is that a value judgment or a description? ;-)
Reminds me of a story, probably apocryphal, about an entry in the Yellow Pages that used to read: BORING: See Civil Engineers.

Actually, not apocryphal.

this seems kind of dumb

understatement

As in, down the rabbit hole she goes?

yes

no money is available for those kinds of capital works under the current government's policy statement on transport spending

Aucklnders need to realise who is pulling the strings on this one.

One might say Alice augers well for Auckland...