Press Release:

Harbour crossing decision welcomed by long time campaigner

Hibiscus and Bays Local Board member Gary Holmes has today welcomed the announcement by Prime Minister John Key that the Government will back the building of an additional Waitemata Harbour Crossing.

Mr Holmes, who for years has campaigned for the urgent need for an additional crossing, says that North Shore residents are concerned about the "strategic vulnerability of relying on one ageing and already inadequate transport route and that the announcement will come as welcome relief to them.

“For years the North Shore has been far too reliant on a single harbour crossing and the news that construction could start in just over a decade provides certainty to Auckland commuters and means that the existing bridge, which is nothing short of a ticking time bomb” will get some much needed relief”, Mr Holmes said.

“It is also pleasing to note that the crossing will be via tunnels rather than the imposition of another bridge structure. "Admittedly the problems associated with financing the construction and the potential social dislocation are daunting, but the prospects of not making a responsible effort to get it under way are far more disturbing."

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