Major road in doubt
The fate of an expressway designed to save lives at a notorious roading black spot remains in limbo after the Government released its roading policy, despite the significant planning already completed.
It has left a council unable to properly plan for the future of its biggest town and the local MP describing the situation as ‘‘soul destroying’’.
The draft Government policy statement on transport, released on Wednesday, proposes taking money away from the previous Government’s roads of national significance projects.
One of those significant roads was the O¯ taki to north of Levin expressway, which would see traffic diverted around Levin.
Transport Minister Phil Twyford said any roads already under way would continue to be worked on.
However, the Levin expressway is in a planning phase, with the NZ Transport Agency yet to create a detailed business case for a preferred route.
Stuff could not get an interview with Twyford, but a statement attributed to him said the policy statement provided a ‘‘strategic direction’’ for funding, while the transport agency decided on specific projects.
The agency’s director of regional relationships Emma Speight said she could not speak about specific projects while the policy statement was still in a draft form.
The agency would have greater certainty about what projects would be going ahead once the policy statement was finalised.
O¯ taki MP Nathan Guy said the Levin expressway was ‘‘on the scrap heap’’ under the policy statement.
The expressway would help move traffic up the North Island, and link to Transmission Gully, the Ka¯ piti Expressway and Peka Peka to O¯ taki road project.
‘‘It makes logical sense for the bulldozers to carry on, otherwise Levin will be the worst choke point in the lower North Island.’’
The Levin expressway met the Government’s objective of road safety, which is highlighted in the policy statement, Guy said.
‘‘This section [of road] should be a priority because it has claimed 11 lives in the last five years and seriously injured 43 motorists.’’
The result created uncertainty for people who had been consulted about the planned route, and made it difficult to plan for Horowhenua’s economic growth.
‘‘They deserve to have route and funding certainty.’’
Horowhenua mayor Michael Feyen said the community was over the uncertainty and wanted a decision made soon.
‘‘People’s lives and their plans are affected – our residents deserve certainty about the proposed route and also when it will occur.’’
The council was about to start working on a Levin town centre strategy, which the expressway was a key part of, Feyen said.
Various other council projects had been delayed during the past few years due to the lack of a solid plan.
‘‘This project has been on again, off again, for nearly a decade,’’ Feyen said.
The expressway would ease congestion and make life safer for motorists, he said.
There were constant crashes and floods on State Highway 1 south of Levin, forcing the road to be closed often.
‘‘They cause significant disruption for locals and those travelling through our district.’’