Support for four lane expressway
Happy New Year. I’m sure like many of you it’s been an wonderful opportunity to have a break with family and friends. It’s a great time to reflect on the year that’s just been and plan for 2020.
This month I enjoyed watching the big dig at Waitarere Beach that attracted a big crowd. Our kids loved the event although weren’t successful in finding any treasure this time.
I’m looking forward to attending the Horowhenua AP&I show this weekend. It’s a proud annual event for the Guy family and our kids have again entered a few categories at the Home Industries.
The show has been running for 114 years and being the closest rural event to Wellington it continues to attract people from all over the Lower North Island. Our restored David Brown tractor will be on show at the vintage machinery area which helps remind everyone how the Horowhenua District has been developed over the decades.
My replacement Tim Costley who is standing for National in the O¯ taki electorate will be with me on the National Party site. I’m sure our site will be busy with our petition to four lane the Horowhenua Expressway gaining a lot of support.
The need for building a four-lane expressway from O¯ taki to Levin has been proven so necessary over the summer holidays. Crashes and delays on this section of SH1 are happening too frequently.
My hunch is after two years of stalling Labour will wake up that it’s election year and include this project in their infrastructure spend (likely to be announced in the next few weeks). Locals will see this as hollow words just nine months out from the election. Voters aren’t dumb and know Labour has been more interested in trains and cycleways instead of investing in a decent four-lane expressway now.
I’m looking forward to watching the election from the sideline but with a strong desire to see a change of Government. Ka¯ piti and Horowhenua deserve better. Thank goodness National built the Ka¯ piti Expressway, got Transmission Gully motorway and the O¯ taki expressway started. Without these vital bits of infrastructure — we would be spending too much time in traffic snarl ups and still driving on unsafe SH1 roads — like motorists are forced to do between O¯ taki to Levin.