Roading plans starting to take shape
Another two important milestones in upgrading our roads have been reached which are worth noting.
As we know, Transmission Gully was given the green light recently by a Board of Inquiry. The time for any legal appeal has now expired, so I look forward to construction starting as soon as 2015.
I can’t wait to see the first bulldozers working on this road which we’ve been waiting on for so long.
I’m also pleased with NZTA’s plan to upgrade and improve the road between Otaki and Levin, including SH1 and SH57.
Like Transmission Gully and the Kapiti expressway, this is part of the Levin to Wellington Airport Road of National Significance.
These safety improvements make good sense and will happen much more quickly than a new four-lane expressway would.
Many of the dangerous rail bridge crossings were designed in the 1950s and 1960s and are poorly aligned. They are now carrying a lot more traffic than they were designed for, and need to be improved.
The Kimberly intersection combining SH1 and SH57 will be getting much needed improvements, where a number of accidents have occurred.
Recent upgrades through Opiki and Makerua have made this route to Palmerston North and the Hawkes Bay increasingly busy.
Some Levin retailers were concerned about the impact a bypass would have had on their business, and will be happy that SH1 won’t be diverted from the main street.
As well as the safety benefits, these new roads will improve travelling times, tackle congestion and provide real economic benefits for Kapiti, Horowhenua and the wider region.
From my diary
*I caught the Capital Connection train into Wellington on Monday for Cabinet, and Parliament is sitting all this week.
*On Monday evening I hosted Trade Minister Tim Groser at a function in Levin.
*On Friday I have a busy day of local electorate visits, including with Otaki Sergeant Slade Sturmey and with Chorus for an update on the local rollout of ultrafast broadband.