Tauranga ratepayers could be spared $25 million of road widening costs if New Zealand First leader Winston Peters ends up as kingmaker in the formation of a new Government.
Mr Peters yesterday pledged to make the construction of a duplicate Turret Rd bridge and the four-laning of Turret Rd and 15th Ave a condition of his party's support for a new Government.
He made the pledge at yesterday's election meeting at Mount Maunganui downtown's Phoenix Carpark - leading to a war of words breaking out with Tauranga's MP Simon Bridges.
His pledge was in response to city councillor Bill Grainger quizzing him about the 2008 pre-election promise made by Prime Minister John Key that a National-led Government would fund the whole $100 million cost of the Hairini Link.
Instead only the $55 million Welcome Bay underpass portion of the project was being funded wholly by the New Zealand Transport Agency, leaving the road widening to be funded partly by the agency once ownership of the Turret Rd/15th Ave corridor passed to the Tauranga City Council.