As part of the big, transformative changes that the CRL project will bring to the Mt Eden area, a new pedestrian and cycle overbridge will be built across the rail line at Porters Avenue to replace the existing level crossing across the tracks.

Construction of this new bridge is expected to start later this year and be completed in late 2021.

It will be the first of four new overbridges built across the rail corridor near Mt Eden Station.

The bridge is designed to be fully accessible, with 26-person lifts at either end to take wheelchairs, prams, bicycles and even two mobility scooters at once. There are also push ramps alongside the stairs for advanced cyclists who don’t wish to disrupt their journey by waiting for a lift.

The bridge is also designed to cleverly conceal the full range of public utility services that it needs to carry across the rail corridor, while also being a high-quality modern structure to support the expected regeneration of the area once the CRL is built.

The bridge’ designers have strived to strike the right balance between maintaining sufficient privacy for surrounding properties and maintaining sufficient visibility for the safety of bridge users.

Of significance is the bridge’s bow-tie shape, which minimises its overall size. The choice of materials is largely perforated panels for barriers and glass for lifts.

These maintain transparency for safety and security reasons and maximise sun and light to surrounding properties.

CRL’s Mana Whenua Forum – representing eight different iwi with an interest in the project – has gifted a cultural narrative for the four rail bridges to be built in Mt Eden as part of the CRL project. The narrative is based on the volcanic atua/deity Matāoho, who resided in the crater of Maungwhau (Mt Eden) and is associated with many of the volcanic features of Tāmaki Makaurau.

Conceptually, the Porters Ave bridge is likened to a sculpted and honed karā toki (basalt chisel) of the maunga (mountain) that would have been used to carve out the extensive earth works on Maungawhau and dig, plant and harvest kumara pits. The bridge responds to this idea of being a newly carved and carefully honed tool of the maunga, representative of lava in its solid state. Artist Tessa Harris (Ngai Tai Ki Tāmaki) has expanded on this narrative in the patterns on the glass fritting of the lift tower and the bridge’s perforated screening. The pattern represents the cross-binding of a chisel blade to a handle, and, in this case, the binding of the bridge to the lift shaft and the bridge site.

The bridge responds to this idea of a carved and carefully honed tool, representative of lava in its solid state. Artist Tessa Harris has expanded on this narrative in the choice of triangular patterns on the glass fritting of the lift tower and the bridge’s perforated screening. The bridge will be built on the western side of Porters Avenue and trucks will be able to turn left under the bridge to access Haultain Street.

The earlier reference designs for the bridge were first consulted on as part of the Notice of Requirement to alter CRL Designation 6 (the surface designation for construction in the Mt Eden area) in 2016. In 2017, the Environment Court granted the alteration with specific conditions relating to the Porters Ave overbridge, including placing the structure on the western side of the road, minimising loss of privacy on adjacent residential sites and catering for cyclists. The detailed design reflects those altered designation conditions.