The Campaign For Better Transport

Mathew Dearnaley reports on the Auckland City Council’s preference for a “surface-tunnel” option for the Waterview Motorway.  From the Herald:

Auckland City’s transport committee has infuriated communities in the path of the Waterview motorway by supporting the Government’s preference for a revised “surface-tunnel” option.

“I’m absolutely gutted by the response from our council – I think they have been irresponsible,” Margi Watson, Waterview-based spokesman of the Tunnel or Nothing protest group, said yesterday.

“The council was elected to represent the interests of communities, not the Government.”

Members of the ruling Citizens and Ratepayers bloc, led by Deputy Mayor David Hay, outvoted minority City Vision and independent councillors in backing the revised scheme, which the Transport Agency estimates will cost $1.4 billion.

That differs from the council’s previous support for a pair of deep tunnels to carry traffic along most of a 4.5km link between the Southwestern and Northwestern Motorways, and will provide extra comfort to the agency’s board when it meets in Auckland late this month to approve the new plan.

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The Herald reports:

Auckland business leaders are pushing the Government to save more than $1 billion by controversially building the Waterview motorway link across country, rather than through tunnels.

A report sent to Transport Minister Steven Joyce by the Auckland Business Forum is set to unleash furious debate at a time when political parties are preparing to contest a byelection in the local Mt Albert electorate soon to be vacated by former Prime Minister Helen Clark.

The Auckland Business Forum claims a return of $3 for every $1 invested if a non-tunnel option was chosen.  That figure sounds too good to be true.  Meanwhile Duncan MacDonald of the Avondale Community Board says

“If the Government is of a mind to do it cheaper, then it won’t get done,” he told the Herald. “I’ll have every person living in Waterview and Mt Albert out there stopping it.”

I think National have their work cut out if they believe they can win Mt Albert at the same time as bowling 400 houses and alienating every community group in the process.

The Herald reports that:

Government motorway builders are preparing to move bulldozers on to the Onehunga waterfront this week, despite efforts by a community group to tie them to an alleged 35-year-old promise to provide sandy beaches.

The Transport Agency says its contractors can wait no longer to extend their $230 million motorway duplication project across Manukau Harbour to the foreshore, after giving the Onehunga Enhancement Society until March 31 to reach a funding agreement with Auckland City and the regional council on an 11ha reclamation plan

Meanwhile, the Onehunga Enhancement Society says:

“There needs to be a memorandum of understanding signed off by key stakeholders in this project to ensure the non-delivery of promises made over the last 30 years is avoided at all costs. If we can get an MOU and substantial [financial] figures for the 11ha and a substantial bridge linking Onehunga to its waterfront, I’m sure we could satisfy our community and avoid the potential for a judicial review.”

 I think this is about to get very interesting.