Waterview motorway on fast track

Environment Minister Nick Smith. Photo / Supplied

Environment Minister Nick Smith will announce tomorrow that he is putting Auckland's $1.4 billion Waterview motorway project on a fast track for resource consent hearings.

He is expected to announce a board of inquiry, headed by a judge, to hold public hearings early next year on conditions to be attached to the Transport Agency's construction of the final link in the western ring route.

The agency, which wants to start a five-year building programme next September for the 4.5km partly tunnelled link between the Southwestern and Northwestern Motorways, lodged applications on August 20 with the new Environmental Protection Authority.

Although the authority had 20 working days to recommend whether the applications met a "national significance" test, Dr Smith told Auckland Mayor John Banks yesterday that he intended making a major announcement about Waterview tomorrow.

He said dealing with the project's fill was a "real issue", referring to a proposal to use up to 600,000cu m of rock and earth from its 2.5km of twin tunnels for an 11ha land reclamation along the Onehunga waterfront.

The Onehunga beaches were lost when the original Mangere Bridge motorway was built in the 1970s.

His comments came at a ceremony to mark Auckland City's deal to add $10 million to the Transport Agency's $18 million for the Onehunga project.

Once a board of inquiry for Waterview is set up it will publicly notify the agency's applications and have nine months to make decisions.

After notification the public have 20 working days to make submissions.