Motorway scheme would wreck baths, forum told

11.15am - By BERNARD ORSMAN

Auckland's historic Parnell Baths, built in the early 1900s as a replacement for reclaimed bays, would be destroyed by the proposed eastern highway, a public forum heard this morning.

Sue Monk, of the Parnell Bay Support Group, said the eastern highway was an extreme measure, and she would prefer to see a start made on rail and public transport first.

She was speaking at the start of a public forum organised by the Auckland City transport committee at the Town Hall.

The committee is due to decide on the final route of the highway into the city on Wednesday.

Sue Monk said Aucklanders treasured the harbourside pool but the Hobson Bay option would wreck the baths.

Noise from ten lanes of cars, buses and container trucks would be excessive and crate a wall of exhaust haze, and reclamation of Tamaki Drive would affect the tidal waters of the baths, she said.

The public forum is hearing from 48 submitters for and against the controversial 4-billion dollar project.

Ports of Auckland chief executive Geoff Vazey said it was essential the eastern highway was built at the earliest opportunity.

He said there were 33,000 truck movements a year between the ports and Auckland's southeast, half of which went through the eastern suburbs.

The eastern highway would provide an alternative route to Auckland's southeast and relieve pressure on the overburdened southern motorway, he said.

To questions about moving more containers by rail, Mr Vazey said rail came into its own for long hauls, but 80 per cent of the 700,000 containers coming through the port each year went to clients within 20km.

Gordon Davies of Foodstuffs Auckland said the cost of business was going up as a result of road congestion. He estimated congestion was responsible for 20 per cent of increased costs in the past five years.

Mr Davies said the eastern highway had been on the plans for 40 years and would provide an efficient alternative through Auckland's eastern suburbs.