Like many in our communities, we’re not happy that major design changes are being proposed for the Ōtaki to North of Levin expressway (Ō2NL), driven by short-term budget pressures rather than long-term needs.

Make no mistake: this is not the road we were promised. The changes proposed by NZTA Waka Kotahi would give us an expressway significantly more dangerous and less efficient than the version granted resource consent by the Environment Court last year.

Among the most significant changes is removing the southbound onramp at Taylors Road, which will divert extra traffic through Ōtaki. This of course is precisely what the new road was designed to avoid.

The overbridge which would have linked the two halves of Manakau village has also been removed. Without it, residents will have no safe option but to cross a busy, high-speed highway just to access essential services. That’s not just an inconvenience; it’s a daily risk. And it’s a risk that this community fought hard to eliminate during the consenting process.

And at the northern end of the new road a full interchange at Tararua Road has been downgraded to a roundabout. This is a major entry and exit point for Levin, and while a full interchange would have provided a largely safe and seamless flow of traffic, a roundabout will lead to delays, noise, and an increased risk of accidents. It will affect thousands of motorists daily and compromise both safety and efficiency.

To add insult to injury NZTA still proposes to toll the new road, which may be hard for users to swallow given it will no longer be the fast-flowing and safe expressway which might have justified such a charge.

Other Roads of National Significance have received extra funding to ensure they are fit for purpose. We believe Ō2NL should be treated the same way.

Community members we have spoken to feel angry and forgotten, and frankly we do not blame them.

The community has engaged in good faith throughout this project, including the Environment Court process. The Court’s decision was one the community understood and could generally support. For NZTA to now propose significant changes that unwind key commitments made during that process will be very difficult for the community to accept.

As Councils we are standing together to advocate for the people and communities we represent. The proposed changes we find most disturbing cover both our districts and we are united in opposing them.

The expressway is more than just a road for many of our residents. Done properly it will allow those at the southern end easy access to health, education and social services in Levin and Palmerston North. And it will ease the commute for the growing number of Levin residents working in Wellington.

A safe, reliable, free-flowing expressway will make our districts a more attractive prospect for investment and will boost our growth; a downgraded road less so.

We call on NZTA and central government to show the same level of commitment to Ō2NL as seen in other Roads of National Significance. Safety, connectivity, and long-term resilience must not be compromised by short-term budget constraints.

At such a late stage this is not about choosing one community over another. Nor is it about the choice which will be faced by many in our districts, of paying a toll for a downgraded road or putting up with the delays of travelling on the old State Highway 1.

What we need is a road that works for all Horowhenua and Kāpiti residents, both now and in the future.

We urge those residents and anyone else who feels short-changed by this proposal to write to the Minister and NZTA too. Here are their emails: Chris.Bishop@parliament.govt.nz and boardsecretariat@nzta.govt.nz.

With enough public backing we may yet get the expressway we were promised.

Horowhenua District Council Mayor Bernie Wanden

Kāpiti Coast District Council Deputy Mayor Lawrence Kirby.

© Scoop Media