One of Auckland's oldest buildings is being moved on Tuesday to make way for work to expand motorway capacity at Victoria Park.
The Bird Cage tavern, built in 1886 as the Rob Roy Hotel, will be temporarily shifted about 40 metres up the road while a tunnel and wider motorway are built between the harbour bridge and the central city.
The 740-tonne building will then be shifted back on top of the tunnel.
It is being done in stages of 1.8 metres, each taking about half an hour.
The engineer overseeing the project says there is no time frame for moving the 740 tonne building, saying the priority is that it gets to its new location in one piece.
The Transport Agency says the double-move will cost $2.5 million.
The roading project, aimed at easing congestion on one of Auckland's busiest inner city routes, is expected to be completed by 2012.
