Embargoed to 5am, 24 February 2012

Media Release

East-West transport project critical for improving Auckland’s freight distribution

The construction start on a section of the long planned Auckland Manukau Eastern Transport Initiative (AMETI) is a greatly welcomed says National Road Carriers Executive Director David Aitken.

“The $180 million Panmure section work launched today marks a serious start to priority improvements needed in Auckland’s transport network between the eastern suburbs and the SH20 Western Ring Route corridor at Onehunga.

The 8000 heavy freight vehicles (HCV) that cross the Pakuranga Bridge every day is on a par with the number of freight vehicles using the Auckland Harbour Bridge and higher than any other road in New Zealand, including the Government’s Roads of National Significance (RONS) projects.”

The overall network that serves the Pakuranga – Waipuna – Mt Wellington – Neilson St – Onehunga area is frequently heavily congested with end-to-end speeds of below 40kph.

“The end point of today’s construction start has to be a seamless and efficient transport route between AMETI and the southern motorway at Mt Wellington and along the Neilson Street corridor to link to SH20 at Onehunga.”

The case for a concerted effort to complete AMETI and the East-West corridor by 2020 is strong. When the existing high levels of daily congestion around Pakuranga - Mt Wellington - Neilson Street are coupled with predictions that the number of freight vehicles will double in Auckland by 2020, there is a compelling economic benefit case for declaring this Auckland’s number one priority project – a local government equivalent of a RONS, said Mr Aitken.

“I note that today’s launch focuses on the AMETI section of the network. For the full economic and social benefits of the multi-billion dollar project to be released it is vital that there is an uninterrupted construction programme for the total project to be completed by 2020. An efficient corridor for freight between SH1 at Mt Wellington and SH20 at Onehunga needs to be confirmed in the Auckland Council’s 10-year long-term plan about to be released, concluded Mr Aitken.

ENDS

BUDGET 2012:
Parliament Debate Live - Video Of Budget 2011
Keith Ng Interactive Graphic: How the Budget Breaks Down
BUDGET 2012 - FULL COVERAGE: Reports / Analysis - Press Kit - Reaction (from everybody) - Previews (from everybody) - Pre-Budget Announcements

Gordon Campbell: On the Budget’s Spreadsheet Victories

It wasn’t as if expectations were sky high, exactly. Chances are, it was always more likely that we’d be seeing Bigfoot rampage through the Beehive lock-up than catch a glimpse of a credible growth agenda from this government. More >>

Sludge Budget Report - Short The Dollar! MEMO: To international bankers FROM: C.D. Sludge Please short the dollar! It'll be good for both you and us. And you know you want to. Greexit, Eurogeddon... watch out... flight to quality and all that. Follow your instincts. The NZ Debt Management Office has been so surprised at the unprecedentedly low interest rates that it can borrow at that it has already entirely pre-funded the 2013 fiscal deficit - all $8 billion of it! More >>

Pattrick Smellie Comment: Doddling along the best we can hope forCriticising Budgets for lacking vision or imagination is like shooting fish in a barrel, but even so, this year's Budget again feels like a missed opportunity. Perhaps it's the intrusion of real world needs that means the government couldn't make better political use of the $558.8 million it expects to gather in its first partial asset sale. More >>