Mr Fixit to take on sticky project

By BERNARD ORSMAN

The Britomart project director, Grant Kirby, is moving to another controversial transport role as project director for the proposed eastern highway.

And in another appointment announced yesterday, Elena Trout has been appointed the project director to sort out Auckland's troubled rail project.

A report produced by consultants Sir Ron Carter and Bill Grieve in October concluded that a director urgently needed to take control of providing an adequate train service when the $212 million Britomart railway station opened in July.

Mr Kirby said that now Britomart was close to completion and set to improve Auckland's transport needs, the time had come to work on the critical east and west arterial roads.

He has begun a two-year contract to lead Auckland's eastern highway project through the tricky planning and resource consent processes.

Early estimates put the cost of the six-lane highway from the city through the eastern suburbs to Manukau at between $460 million and $1 billion.

The highway will destroy more than 300 homes and pass through environmentally sensitive areas such as Hobson Bay.

Mr Kirby said he would continue to be paid as a consultant to the Britomart project while billing Auckland and Manukau cities and Transit NZ for his work on the eastern corridor.

He refused to say how much he was charging ratepayers.

Mr Kirby has a reputation as a Mr Fixit in local government circles, with vast experience of Auckland politics and transport issues.

He was appointed commissioner when the previous Rodney District Council self-destructed.

He has just ended a year in the role as a Government-appointed troubleshooter to sort out Auckland's transport plans - with mixed success.

Mrs Trout has an equally challenging job - bringing together the warring factions to make sure there is a modern train system able to meet an expected 20 per cent increase in commuters when Britomart opens.

Political infighting has dogged the project and led the Auckland Regional Council to call in Sir Ron to review the project.

Mrs Trout has public and private sector experience in transport.

Most recently she had a senior role at the Serco Group, one of three companies shortlisted to take over Auckland's rail system from Tranz Rail.

The ARC chief executive, Jo Brosnahan, said legal advice was sought before Mrs Trout was appointed to make sure there was no conflict of interest.

Jo Brosnahan said Mrs Trout's role was to implement a train service from next July and she would not be involved in choosing the new rail operator. That would be a job for the ARC.

Mrs Trout was appointed jointly by the ARC and Auckland Regional Transport Network Ltd.

Meanwhile, Auckland and Manukau cities have failed to meet an ambitious timetable to appoint a company to conduct detailed planning and environmental studies for the eastern highway.

The councils will not appoint a company from a shortlist of four until the end of next month.

Herald feature: Getting Auckland moving