Auckland City Council's budget for a 40 metre drawbridge in the Viaduct area has ballooned by almost $15 million.
The drawbridge will carry pedestrians and passenger transport but traffic will be delayed when boats need to pass underneath it.
It will connect downtown Auckland with the Wynyard Quarter precinct and is the first stage in the council's plan to revitalise the Viaduct area.
Last year the council budgeted $37 million for the project but that's since risen to almost $52m.
The council will apply for a New Zealand Transport Agency subsidy to help fund the bridge.
