Setting out the case for the Expressway
By now many locals might be tired of reading negative comments on the Kapiti expressway. I think it’s important to balance the debate and restate exactly why this is project is so important to our region.
NZTA and I have put a major effort into consulting and listening with the public, and the project is now all go with the Minister of Finance confirming the availability of funding when he visited recently.
Here are the top 10 reasons why I believe it’s so important we get on and build this road.
1. Better access in and out of Wellington. This is important for commuters, with around half of Kapiti’s population working in Wellington. It also means better access to the hospital, stadium, port and airport.
2. Transmission Gully. This is an important part of the Wellington Airport to Levin Road of National Significance. It would be pointless to have traffic exiting the gully and coming to a screaming halt at traffic lights in Paraparaumu.
3. Economic boost. Better access to Wellington will encourage more people to live and work here, and as a trading nation it’s important we can move goods around the lower North Island efficiently. It will mean considerable journey time saving, and more local jobs during construction.
4. It connects our communities. Four interchanges will allow locals to get on and off the expressway. Two of the interchanges will be at our busiest roads Kapiti and Te Moana, and it includes a second bridge over the Waikanae River that locals have been waiting ages for.
5. SH1 will become a local road. This offers all sorts of opportunities for the town centres of Waikanae and Paraparaumu, and I’m looking forward to NZTA engaging with the community on this soon.
6. Safer roads. The current SH1 is carrying a far heavier load of traffic than it was meant to, and there are numerous accident black spots. A four lane expressway with traffic separation will reduce head on crashes.
7. Fewer homes affected. I have a lot of sympathy for those directly affected and I will support them through the development process. However it’s worth remembering that the West and East options originally proposed by NZTA would have affected many more homes.
8. Less disruption during construction. Because the expressway is on a new route, we can continue to use SH1 while it’s under construction without major disruption and delays.
9. Futureproof. Kapiti is one of the fastest growing regions in the country and we need to prepare for this. The proposed Western Link road would have been a ten year temporary solution before increasing traffic volumes would have forced the Government to look at four-laning, and go through this whole process all over again.
10. Certainty. This sandhills route has been on the cards since the 1950’s, and there’s been decades of talk. Most locals tell me “just get on with it”, and that’s exactly what is happening.
Labour and the Greens have promised to scrap the expressway, which would mean going back to the drawing board, years of delays and more congestion.
I’m proud to be part of a Government with the guts and vision to finally deliver on this expressway, and with a massive investment into rail services as well.