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Hillsborough Highway Extensions Must Be Sped Up
Hillsborough Highway Extensions Must Be Sped Up: EMA
The Employers & Manufacturers Association wants the new roading extensions from Hillsborough to Richardson Road completed in half the time that Transit New Zealand is proposing, in 2.5 years, not five.
The EMA also says the Avondale extension on the western highway network should be actioned concurrently with the Hillsborough to Richardson Road extension.
It supported Transit New Zealand's application for a Notice of Designation under the Resource Management Hearings before Auckland City Council on the State Highway 20 extension yesterday (April 3rd).
"These road developments have been on Auckland's District Plans since the 1970's," said Alasdair Thompson, EMA's chief executive. "The majority of the land required is already designated for the purpose.
"They are rated 'high priority' by both the Auckland Regional Council and Transit New Zealand's Regional Land Transport Strategy, but here we are still at the hearings stage.
"Auckland's businesses and residents want the highway network around Auckland completed under urgency.
"We want Transit and our councils to get on with it. We want these roads fast tracked.
"The benefits for far faster road development are local, city wide and regional.
"The local benefits are very large. They will result in a significant drop in expected traffic flows in Hillsborough, Mt Albert and Richardson roads, improve pedestrian safety, lower pollution in the area, and the plans for managing stormwater run off are impressive.
"The city wide benefits include reduced transport times for traffic flowing west and south, and the regional benefits will be the alternative route it provides to State Highway 1. All these things will ease traffic congestion.
"The survey by AA last year showed well over 80 per cent of Aucklanders want the highway network completed around Auckland under urgency.
"We are at a loss to understand why new developments and road extesnions are taking so long to implement.
"We urge Transit New Zealand to be quicker off the mark in applying for new consents and for our city councils to become far faster in the processing of them.
"EMA has 5000 member organisations. 1400 of these in Auckland City employ 71,000 people with a payroll of $2.1 billion a year."
Further comments: Alasdair Thompson tel 09 367 0911
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