KEY POINTS:
National Party transport spokesman Maurice Williamson believes Transit NZ's decision to build motorway tunnels though Waterview in Auckland has been politically influenced.
And he doubts that the Government and Transit can afford the $1.89 billion cost of the tunnels.
He said last night that National fully supported completing the region's western ring route in no more than eight years.
But he said he would want to see solid financial justification for the "gold-plated" proposal, and did not believe it could be paid for without some form of private-public partnership (PPP) or other alternative to traditional transport funding.
"I don't think the Government could ever fund a $1.9 billion road from just straight land transport funding," Mr Williamson said. "That would mean the rest of the country would get nothing for nearly three years, so you have go to find an alternative source of funding."
Finance Minister Michael Cullen has acknowledged it would be difficult to pay for the project from fuel taxes alone, and the Government is waiting for a report from a steering group on the feasibility of establishing a PPP to dig and operate the tunnels.
But Mr Williamson claimed Transit's decision-making had been "terribly politicised" by the presence of Labour president Mike Williams on its board and by a statement by Prime Minister Helen Clark in 2005 in support of tunnels through Waterview, which is in her Mt Albert electorate.
"You've got the Prime Minister and the president of the Labour Party both actively involved in getting a design of a road which in my view is politicising it to a shocking extent," he said.
Transit acting chairman Bryan Jackson could not be reached for comment on the unanimous decision by his board to seek a designation from Auckland City for tunnels between New Windsor and the Northwestern Motorway.
But Transit principal project manager Clive Fuhr said earlier that tunnels were not much more expensive than a far more disruptive option of a surface route combined with limited sections of "cut and cover" trenches costing $1.7 billion.
He said a full surface option, as advocated by pro-roading groups, would be prevented by a need to run the motorway under or over two rail corridors, several busy arterial roads and Oakley Creek.
A submission to Transit by the Road Transport Forum, representing freight carriers, claimed that at least $500 million could be saved by staying above ground.
"An analysis of the extra costs of the tunnel option suggests Transit NZ is prepared to spend an extra $1.6 million per house to tunnel under the houses rather than face potential planning delays."
Mr Fuhr denied there could be any such savings and said his board had concluded it would be very difficult to meet the deadline of 2015 for completing the project if community resistance from a more disruptive option meant protracted legal challenges.
Mr Williamson said National believed such a large project should be "called-in" by the Government to reduce the time needed to gain resource consents.
Housing NZ is meanwhile sending letters today to more than 100 tenants of properties which Transit expects to have to buy around the proposed tunnel portals, assuring them they will not need to move until next year.
That follows a claim to a Transit board meeting on Wednesday by Waterview Primary School principal Brett Skeen that some had been told they would have to move as early as September.
The letters tell tenants that although their homes are likely to be sold to Transit in September, Housing NZ will lease them back until they are needed.
