Better roads full-speed ahead
It’s very pleasing to see good progress on new roads happening, with real momentum gathering.
Earlier this month the Kapiti expressway was given draft approval by the Board of Inquiry.
The Board ran an open and transparent process, listening to evidence from all sides and carefully considering the costs and benefits of this project. They came out with 94 pages of conditions that NZTA must adhere to in building the expressway.
Our region badly needs this road and it has now passed one of the biggest hurdles.
Kapiti residents gave the expressway a resounding vote of support in the 2011 general election, and now I’m looking forward to construction beginning this year.
An Alliance was formed several years ago between NZTA, engineers, road builders, designers and the Kapiti Coast District Council to sit around the table together. This collaboration means they can now hit the ground running.
A new four-lane expressway will mean quicker and safer journeys, and will be a real boost to the regional economy.
It will have good local connections with interchanges on Kapiti Road near the Airport and Te Moana Road. It also means State Highway One can become a local road for local use.
NZTA have also now lodged an application for resource consent to build the Peka Peka to Otaki expressway.
This is likely to go to a Board of Inquiry, just as we saw with Transmission Gully and the Kapiti expressway. It’s a model that works well and lets everyone have their say.
More discussion is soon to begin on upgrading the section from Otaki to Levin, a project worth up to $100 million which will improve overall safety and efficiency.
These new roads represent the biggest Government investment into our region ever. The route from Wellington airport to Levin will be an investment of over $2 billion and will reshape the way business is done in our region.
Ultimately it brings our capital city closer to us and opens up opportunities for regional economic growth.
Overall it’s great to see that things are moving at a fast pace. As local MP I’ll continue to push for speedy progress on developing our roads all the way to Levin.