The country's largest ever infrastructure project has reached a major milestone today, and the country's second largest project could open tomorrow.

Transport minister Simon Bridges and mayor Phil Goff have handed over responsibility for Auckland's City Rail Link to a dedicated company at a ceremony this afternoon. City Rail Link Limited will will oversee the project on behalf of the council and the Crown until its completion in 2023.

The two 3.4-kilometre tunnels between Britomart and Mt Eden will double the train and passenger capacity of Auckland's rail network. Goff said the project will "build an artery to feed thousands of employees into New Zealand’s highest value employment precinct".

Sixty percent of New Zealand's population growth over the next 30 years will occur in Auckland, with the city centre projected to have 140,000 residents and 200,000 employees .

"The City Rail Link will help Auckland deal with the challenge of unprecedented population growth and keep our city moving, but it is only one part of the transport jigsaw. "We still need government to work with Auckland Council to address the infrastructure funding gap and accelerate projects agreed in Auckland Transport Alignment Project."

Signing the City Rail Link Ltd foundation documents with Deputy Mayor, @simonjbridges & @stevenljoyce. A big occasion for #Auckland! pic.twitter.com/k7SOiTmwOi

— Phil Goff (@phil_goff) June 30, 2017

Further west, the Waterview motorway tunnels could open to motorists as early as tomorrow. The 2.4 kilometre tunnels will connect the South-Western and North-Western Motorways, creating a motorway ring route around the city.

Auckland's new Waterview tunnels are long by road standards, but not by rail standards. pic.twitter.com/iMtV3XONnh

— Michael Sergel (@michaelsergel) June 30, 2017

Meanwhile, rail services to Huapai and bus services to Warkworth could soon be funded by local targeted rates.

Submissions close today on the three-yearly plans of the region's 21 local boards. Most are focusing on improving parks and sports fields, promoting local town centres, and advocating for better infrastructure and public transport.

Rodney Local Board has got out on a limb, proposing to charge an extra targeted rate to fund park and ride facilities, road-sealing, buses to Warkworth, and trains to Huapai. All ratepayers in the Rodney area would continue to pay the controversial annual transport levy, which was introduced in 2015 and is due to be scrapped next year. It could could provide passenger subsidies to get a rail service to Huapai and a bus service to Warkworth off the ground.

"Rodney has over 600 kilometres of unsealed roads, little public transport and no park and ride facilities. We require additional funding as general rates alone won’t be enough to make a real difference," the board's consultation document said.

"A new targeted rate would mean this transport investment could happen much faster than waiting for other rates funding to become available." Without the targeted, rate, a train service might not be introduced for another decade, and the process of sealing Rodney's rural roads could take much longer.

Meanwhile, Howick Local Board wants to introduce a local targeted rate, to give residents of all ages free access to council swimming pools. Franklin Local Board also wants to explore a targeted rate to cover popular unbudgeted projects.