Transmission Gully and roading
Last week the Transport Minister Gerry Brownlee confirmed that Transmission Gully will be built as a public-private partnership (PPP).
This is great news because it means it can be built quicker and at less cost to the taxpayer. Construction can now begin in 2014, a year earlier than first thought, with the road due to open in 2020.
A PPP is already being used to build a new prison at Wiri in Auckland. A major advantage is that it spreads the cost over time, with a private consortium financing construction and the NZTA will then repay the cost over 25 years
The benefits of Transmission Gully are well known. The recent Board of Inquiry agreed that a new four-lane highway will tackle congestion, reduce travel times and provide a much safer route.
It will give us a crucial second route to Wellington, and be a real boost to the regional economy by encouraging more people to live, work and visit both Kapiti and Horowhenua.
NZTA will also explore the option of building Transmission Gully as a toll road next year.
It will be one of the biggest roading construction projects in the region for a long time, and a key part of the Wellington Airport to Levin Road of National Significance.
As I’ve always said, this makes it even more important to build the Kapiti expressway. Without it, traffic coming out of Transmission Gully would just come to a screaming halt at the Paraparaumu traffic lights.
Last week also saw new and updated road ratings released. KiwiRAP (New Zealand Road Assessment Programme) measures crash risk on nearly 11,000 kilometres of state highway, identifying high-risk roads to help target safety improvements.
I’m pleased that SH1 from Pukerua Bay to Paraparaumu is one of the most improved stretches of road in the country. However, we need to get on with building the next section from Paraparaumu to Levin to further improve safety.
On that note, I want to pay tribute to Dr Chris Lane who is retiring from Kapiti Coast EMS. Over the last few decades he has seen more than anyone the terrible impact of road tragedies. He has also been a passionate advocate for improved road safety.