Vehicle crossings and right of way construction in Auckland
Two pieces of construction sit between a public road and a house on a rear site, and they are governed differently. The vehicle crossing, which spans the berm and footpath, is council-controlled because it sits on public land. The right of way behind it is private, but usually consent-bound and always engineered.
Most cost surprises on rear-site development come from underestimating one or both.
The vehicle crossing
The crossing is the section from the road carriageway across the berm and footpath to the property boundary. Because it is on public land, it needs council approval before it is built, and it has to be constructed to council standards. Requirements cover position, width, gradient, sightlines, drainage across the crossing, and reinstatement of the footpath and berm.
Where a crossing is being added or altered as part of a development, the application is generally handled alongside the other approvals for the site rather than as an afterthought. In some districts the crossing request forms part of the same application as service connections.
The crossing is on public land. That single fact is why it cannot be built to whatever standard suits the site.
The right of way
Behind the boundary, the accessway serving one or more rear lots is private, and it carries a set of requirements that catch people out:
Width and geometry sufficient for the vehicles that need to use it, including service and emergency vehicles
Pavement design suited to the loading it will carry, which is a structural question rather than a surfacing one
Longitudinal and cross gradients that work for both drainage and vehicle access
Stormwater collection along the accessway and a legitimate route for it to discharge to
Services running within the corridor, usually in the same trench work
Retaining where levels require it
The drainage is the part most often under-scoped. A sealed accessway is impervious area, and that water has to go somewhere the design accounts for, which links back to detention and soakage requirements for the site.
What drives the cost
Length of the accessway, which scales everything else
Ground conditions and how much of the existing material has to be removed and replaced
Pavement depth required for the design loading
Levels and any retaining needed to achieve workable gradients
Stormwater collection and disposal along the run
Whether services share the corridor and can be installed in the same works
Traffic management during the crossing construction, since it happens on a live road
Doing it as one job
Crossing, accessway, drainage and services all occupy the same corridor. Sequencing them as a single civil package rather than as separate trades avoids the pattern where a completed accessway is dug up to install a service that was scoped later. On a subdivision this sits inside the wider civil package covered in subdivision civil works.
Questions we get asked
Do I need approval for a vehicle crossing?
Yes. The crossing sits on public land and requires council approval and construction to council standards before it is built.
Can I widen my existing crossing?
Altering a crossing is treated much like forming a new one and needs approval. Width is constrained by council requirements rather than by preference.
Who maintains a right of way?
The accessway is private. Maintenance responsibility is shared among the properties it serves, governed by the terms recorded against the titles.
Does the accessway need its own drainage?
Generally yes. It is impervious area, and the water needs a designed collection and discharge route rather than running to the road or a neighbour.
Can the services go in the same trench?
Often, and where they can it is materially cheaper than separate works. It needs to be planned before the pavement is built rather than after.
This page is general in nature. Confirm vehicle crossing and accessway requirements with Auckland Council for your property.
Draeinail Construction has been putting drainage in the ground across Auckland and the Franklin district since 2006. Request a quote or call Darryn Muir on 021 271 0035.
