Minister points to other priorities besides proposed highway

By BERNARD ORSMAN

The Minister for Auckland Issues, Judith Tizard, is lukewarm on the $460 million eastern highway, saying other roading projects in Auckland should take priority.

Ms Tizard told the Herald yesterday that the region should first fix Spaghetti Junction, complete the motorway link to the port and extend State Highway 20 to the Northwestern Motorway.

She is not opposed to the eastern highway but said these other projects took priority in the regional land transport strategy.

All of the local authorities in the region had agreed on that strategy.

A Transit New Zealand report said resource-consent delays could hold up completion of State Highway 20 until 2015.

The minister was not convinced the eastern highway was the right solution "just so all the people in Howick can have an extra half-hour in bed".

The proposal, announced last week by Auckland Mayor John Banks and Manukau Mayor Sir Barry Curtis, came a "little out of left field" and raised a number of questions about the social, environmental and economic benefits, she said.

It was important for her as minister to have a clear collective view of what Auckland wanted that she could advocate at Government level.

"And as the MP for Auckland Central I reserve the right to question what projects will do to my local electorate.

"The question remains. What will happen to the cars when they hit Mechanics Bay?"

She was also sceptical of Mr Banks' suggestion for the eastern highway to link to a third harbour crossing from Mechanics Bay to connect at Esmonde Rd, saying it would cost at least $1.4 billion and cause major disruption and destruction of inner-city and North Shore communities.

Feature: Getting Auckland moving

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