Popular roading routes canned

Residents fear a planned expressway could cut through some of Horowhenua’s ‘‘prettiest’’ and most productive land.

About 300 people attended an update meeting, hosted by National MP Nathan Guy in Levin, for the $100 million-plus expressway to connect O¯ taki to Levin and north on Thursday.

After a presentation by New Zealand Transport Agency staff, the floor was opened to the public. Residents spoke of disappointment that the popular western routes had been scrapped, hardship caused by lengthy planning, uncertainty because a final route had not been chosen, and distrust about whether public opinion would be listened to.

Fifteen possible routes were presented last year. The list was narrowed to nine eastern routes in February this year.

A transport agency report from August showed of 217 feedback forms, 122 chose routes, and 95 wanted a western route.

The western routes would have cut through less useful, sand-dune land between the coast and Levin.

Transport agency project manager Lonnie Dalzell said they would have created the fastest routes along their length and cut through the fewest homes, at 60.

But traffic modelling showed drivers travelling to and from Levin and Palmerston North in the east would likely default to the old State Highway 1 and SH57, he said.

The expressway was planned to be more resilient and reduce travel times, but the main reason for it was the high number of deaths and serious-injury crashes on SH1 and SH57 in Horowhenua. So, to be successful, it had to reduce numbers on those roads, Dalzell said.

The existing SH1 and SH57 could not be fixed and made safe for high-traffic volumes, and could not be expanded to four lanes.

Planners now say the next best options are routes S7, S7A and S6, which run through between 130 and 180 homes, farmland and lifestyle blocks east of Levin.

Cheers rose from the crowd when Horowhenua resident Caroline Gordon said the eastern options shortlist had been a shock. ‘‘Those routes will go through some of the prettiest and most productive parts of our community. This community’s best, most arable land, the best recreation areas – that’s sacrilege.

‘‘It’s going to service all of New Zealand, yet for our area it’s probably going to go through the socioeconomic heart.’’

She asked how feedback factored into the choice.

Dalzell said all information gathered would be presented to a board, which considered the road’s purposes, price, engineering, government direction and public preferences, before making a decision.

Glenys Anderson, from Levin, said the eastern routes would ‘‘go through my lounge’’.

‘‘We’d all love it to be somewhere else, but it’s going somewhere, and a western route delays it again. It’s better if we get a decision and we can move on.’’

Dalzell said further project dates had not been set, as they depended on more planning, but the earliest construction could begin was in 2022.

No routes were plotted for the north end, as planners grappled with a volume problem. Original plans had been for four lanes, but 15,000 vehicles a day were needed to justify this. Traffic on SH1 north of O¯ taki was about 17,000 vehicles a day, but was divided at the Kimberley Rd intersection, south of Levin, with about 8500 vehicles travelling on SH1 north of Levin a day, and 8500 going through Shannon on SH57.

Guy said, by 2020, Levin would be ‘‘the worst choke point in the North Island’’, and it was important urgent action was taken.

Online consultation officially closes on March 16.

‘‘It’s going to service all of New Zealand, yet for our area it’s probably going to go through the socio-economic heart.’’ Horowhenua resident

Caroline Gordon