Two additional tunnels could be built through Mt Victoria in Wellington as part of the city’s $7.4 billion transport plan.
This is despite recent announcements about Let’s Get Wellington Moving (LGWM) only ever referring to a singular new tunnel.
But an update on the plan in a regional transport meeting agenda refers to an option of two “diagonal tunnels” running alongside one another.
A second Mt Victoria tunnel has been a source of controversy for LGWM since it was first announced.
There have been political disagreements over whether it should be prioritised and how many lanes it should have for cars.
The Government’s preferred option for LGWM includes a second tunnel, but the details of what that might look like are yet to be worked out.
The twin diagonal tunnel option would connect Paterson St with Wellington Rd, according to LGWM technical documents from last year.
This would cut the corner off the route of the existing Mount Victoria tunnel and Ruahine St.
Both tunnels would have two lanes - one for general traffic and one dedicated to public transport, artist impressions show.
The new tunnels would be about 1.2km long, which is 500m longer than the existing Mt Victoria Tunnel.
Under this option, the existing Mt Victoria tunnel would be repurposed for walking and cycling.
Another option shown on the meeting agenda is to just have one new tunnel, but for walking, cycling, and public transport. This would run parallel to the existing Mt Victoria tunnel.
LGWM programme director Sarah Gardner said the artist’s impressions were conceptual.
The form and location of an extra Mt Victoria Tunnel were yet to be determined, she said.
“Detailed investigation of an extra Mt Victoria Tunnel will start next year and we expect to recommend a preferred option in early 2024. We will engage with the community as part of this work.”
Green Party transport spokeswoman Julie Anne Genter, who was the Associate Transport Minister when the plan for LGWM was first announced in 2019, said this was the first she had heard of a proposal for two additional tunnels.
She was concerned about embedded carbon and the cost of building diagonal tunnels in particular.
“In a climate crisis, we have to prioritise. We have to make it easier for people to get around in low carbon ways, with a limited transport budget, limited carbon budget left, and get the most mobility possible... probably not through tunnels.”
A spokesman for Transport Minister Michael Wood’s office reiterated no decisions had been made on the form or location of the second tunnel.
“This will be considered as part of the detailed design phase, at the completion of which the LGMW partners will make a decision.”
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