Rodney MP lobbies for toll highway

Lockwood Smith. Photo / Supplied

A plea for Auckland Council to reactivate the $150 million Penlink project at Whangaparaoa was made yesterday by long-time Rodney MP Lockwood Smith.

Speaking to a council meeting in Orewa, Dr Smith, who is also Speaker of the House, said Whangaparaoa residents had thought the tollway project was going ahead many times in the past decade.

Linking the peninsula with the Northern Motorway had been promoted to shorten the trip to the city and ease congestion on Whangaparaoa Rd.

Surveys in 2000 and 2006 showed 90 per cent residents' support and the latest study showed a benefit to cost ratio of 3.8 to the Government.

But Dr Smith said it would also benefit safety in Silverdale.

"Silverdale will never go anywhere while all that traffic thunders through it. Silverdale is screwed."

He had residents complaining every other week about problems of getting to the sports field.

"Silverdale is one of the key development areas, so for development of Silverdale as well as for safety, this is such a huge project."

Dr Smith also pleaded with council members to back the designated $1.65 billion four-lane highway from Puhoi to Wellsford.

He said it must be built away from State Highway 1 to avoid the chaos of road improvement works on a road so heavily used.

The project has been dubbed the "holiday highway" by council member and transport chairman Mike Lee, who says no business case has been established.

Dr Smith said there was a huge economy north of Auckland similar in magnitude to Wellington City and strangled of opportunity to grow.

"So every time one of you calls it a holiday highway you insult the whole of Northland."

Although the project is one of seven roads of national significance, the first stage to Warkworth will not be completed until 2019 and the final stage not until 2022.

The meeting was also addressed by residents of Stillwater. Spokesman Paul Murphy said many residents would prefer the council to explore widening Whangaparaoa Rd.