Straight road ahead past Orewa

The road north seems uncertain where it should end.

As it leaves Auckland, State Highway 1 fluctuates between two and three lanes before dwindling to a roundabout with one choice - a single lane into Orewa.

That would change within four years, Transport Minister Pete Hodgson announced yesterday, with a 7.5km stretch of toll road linking through to Puhoi.

Mr Hodgson confirmed Cabinet approval, saying tolls were likely to be around $1.80 for cars and $3.60 for heavy vehicles "in today's money".

The Government may still face a battle, with at least one group of opponents threatening legal action against the levy.

But residents in Orewa, having long suffered traffic winding its convoluted route north, were yesterday relieved at the announcement.

"Every weekend and holiday it's bumper to bumper," said Brent Edwards, at Signature Homes. "We paid for the harbour bridge and if we have to pay for this, so be it."

Resident Audrey Clifton said Orewa was a beautiful resort town being spoiled by noisy and dangerous traffic. A congestion-relieving road, toll or not, was needed.
"If I'm in Auckland past 4pm then try to get back here, I've had it," she said. "People will just get used to paying."

Johnny Banovich, owner of coffee shop Whole Latte Love, said the road was desperately needed, but feared the toll could defeat the purpose of bypassing Orewa.

"If people don't want to pay, they will just keep coming this way," Mr Banovich said. "I see no reason why this little bit of road should be tolled when nowhere else is."

That sentiment is echoed more forcefully a few kilometres north at Waiwera, where the new highway will end. Residents of that area are likely to be among the hardest hit as they travel to Auckland for work.

Barclay Armstrong, a film cameraman, lives at the top of the proposed highway and estimates anyone regularly using the road to travel to Auckland will end up paying around $900 a year. "I won't use it, simple as that," he said.

The highway was a pilot scheme to introduce tolling and paid scant regard to better and cheaper options for the Northland roading network, Mr Armstrong said.

The National Land Transport Fund will grant $180 million to the Alpurt B2 project, with the Government lending $159 million, to be repaid by the tolls over 35 years. The road will open in 2009.

Mr Hodgson also used yesterday's announcement to take a swipe at National, accusing the party of "smoke and mirrors" on transport funding.

Labour was "being straight" about how it would pay for roading projects, he said.

But that will do little to satisfy opponents of the toll road.

Lobby group Highway Robbery said it was likely to take legal action, claiming the project did not meet the legislative criterion of public support.

That view was backed by another group, the Waiwera Valley Association. Chairman William de Hamel said a survey had showed 100 per cent opposition from residents to tolls being levied.

He disputed a Transit survey that showed toll support and said: "Our survey clearly shows local opposition to tolling the motorway that crosses our valley."

At the Orewa roundabout yesterday a handful of construction workers were at the site continuing preliminary work.

Despite the opposition, Rodney Mayor John Law said tolling would allow the project to be brought forward by 10 years, bringing "huge benefits for Rodney, Northland, and the Auckland Region".

The toll

* Tolls for cars will be $1.80 and trucks $3.60 for a 7.5km stretch of toll road from Orewa to Puhoi.

* The toll will be introduced within the next four years.

* The road will be built with a $180 million grant from the Land Transport Fund and a $159 million Government loan, to be repaid from toll revenue over 35 years.

* At least one group of opponents is threatening legal action against the levy.