Rodney Deplores “Tunnel Vision”

Rodney District Council says the Government is taking the right step in instructing the NZ Transport Agency to opt for a cheaper option for the Waterview connection.

In a statement issued today, Rodney’s mayor, Penny Webster, says the decision not to proceed with a tunnel to complete the Western Ring Route makes economic sense and provides a better solution for the region as a whole.

She says the saving on the costly tunnel option, estimated to be a minimum of $1.5 billion, could fast track the funding of other much needed infrastructure projects in the region.

Mrs Webster points to Penlink as one of those projects and says it would deliver direct economic benefits “not just to Rodney but to New Zealand as a whole.”

“Penlink will deliver about $6 billion in GPD contribution over the next 25 years. It would also enable the creation of nearly 4,000 new jobs in our new Rodney Knowledge Economy Zone and direct employment benefit activity approaching $302 million a year,” she says.

“In that context it doesn’t make any sense at all to commit extra millions of dollars to a single project to the exclusion of others.”

Mrs Webster says her council has been consistent in lobbying against the tunnel vision of the original proposal.

In its submission to the Waterview Connection Procurement Steering Group in April last year, the council went on record as questioning the economic viability of a tunnel and what it called the high engineering risks of dealing with unknown soil structure and water issues

“We appreciate the difficulty the Government has in making trade-offs between the concerns of local people and the benefits to the wider region and the New Zealand economy. It’s not easy,” says Mrs Webster.

“But in this instance we think Minister Steven Joyce and the Government have made the right decision.”

ENDS

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