Officials agree with pro-highway appeal

Porirua mayor Nick Leggett and Kapiti mayor Ross Church have applauded the decision of the NZ Transport Agency to appeal the Board of Inquiry’s rejection of the Basin flyover application.

The transport agency has lodged an appeal to the High Court on several points of law to provide direction for the planning of transport infrastructure, around the Basin and throughout New Zealand.

‘‘ We applaud this move because the project has many benefits for the wider region,’’ Leggett said.

‘‘ This is about an efficient economic highway that separates local and regional traffic between Wellington airport and Manawatu/Rangitikei, which in reality is a conduit for prosperity for the lower North Island.

‘‘ Easy access to Wellington Airport and hospital is vital to Porirua residents, not to mention those on the Kapiti Coast and Hutt Valley.’’

Church said the new MacKays to Peka Peka Expressway would be much more effective if there was continuous traffic flow from Kapiti.

‘‘ An efficient highway that allows traffic to flow unimpeded from Kapiti through Wellington City to key facilities such as the airport is really important and this can’t be achieved at the Wellington end if there is congestion around the Basin Reserve,’’ he said.

‘‘It’s crazy spending over a billion dollars on a road of national significance from the airport to Levin and not solving the worst bottleneck in the city, when there’s no viable alternative.

‘‘This is about looking at the whole region and the obvious economic spin-offs of eliminating all the bottlenecks and not just shifting them further down the line.’’

Leggett said a key concern was also the prevention of projects that flow on from the Basin Bridge decision, such as better pedestrian/ cycleway access, improved public transport systems and the double tunnelling of Mt Victoria Tunnel, which is at capacity.