10 August 2005

Waitakere City sees decision to speed up motorway as contributor to growth solutions in the city

Waitakere City Council is delighted with Transit’s decision to start work this financial year, on the next stage of motorway between Waitakere and North Shore.

Transit New Zealand announced today that construction of the section known as the Hobsonville Deviation, from the Upper Harbour Bridge to Westgate, has been advanced by two years.

“That is wonderful news because solving the present and future growth issues in the north-west sector of Waitakere is vitally important to both the city and the region,” says Councillor Penny Hulse, chair of Waitakere City Council’s City Development Committee.

“The Council’s plan is for a new town centre at Westgate providing up to 10,000 new jobs to absorb the commuter traffic that will otherwise grow as the population grows. However, a town centre needs good motorway access for commercial traffic,” Councillor Hulse says.

“So we’re working with Transit and others, to plan the best way to achieve both objectives and news that the motorway is going ahead quicker than we originally expected, is very positive,” she says.

Councillor Hulse says that Waitakere needs many more jobs and is planning to provide the majority of them at Westgate, New Lynn and Henderson.

“At present about 60% the city’s workforce commutes to other parts of the region every day – and that contributes to the existing gridlock,” says Councillor Hulse.

“We also know the population is going to double. So, we must provide many more jobs in the city, or all those extra people will also being going down the motorways– which is just a recipe for even worse gridlock,” she says.

Councillor Hulse says Waitakere City Council and Transit are working together on solutions that will reduce commuter traffic while providing better, faster, road access in the north-west, for commercial goods and services traffic.

“A solution at Westgate will help deliver growth related solutions throughout the entire region,” she says.

ENDS

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