Why Put Brakes On Motorway Completion?

Tuesday 1 Jul 2003 Dr Muriel Newman Press Releases -- Other

ACT New Zealand Northland MP Dr Muriel Newman today expressed outrage that the completion of the Northern Motorway has not even made it onto the Government's roading priority list, and said she will re-launch a petition to Parliament to build public pressure.

"There is no reason for this project not to go ahead. The resource consents have been gained, and the motorway has been designed - at a cost of $4 million to taxpayers. Transfund has more than enough money in its road-building bank account to complete the highway - all lights are green," Dr Newman said.

"Yet now, despite all of these factors, reports show that Transit NZ has placed other projects higher on its list of priorities. This is totally unacceptable, especially given the Government's promise to complete the motorway by 2003.

"The Northern Motorway currently stops short in the middle of an Orewa paddock, from where massive volumes of traffic must follow a winding road through a residential area, to link with a dangerous stretch of State Highway One. And now it seems that this life-risking Third World situation will be allowed to continue for a further five years.

"Failure to complete this project costs the New Zealand economy $1 million a week - with this sort of drain, it makes sense to complete the motorway as soon as possible.

"Today, instead of tabling my petition to Parliament, to complete the motorway as an urgent priority, I have decided to re-launch it to build even stronger support. There is no logical reason for the Government to not address this disgraceful situation. The only reason is politics - wanting to appease the Green Party and generate electoral support. I think that's disgraceful," Dr Newman said.

ENDS

For more information visit ACT online at http://www.act.org.nz or contact the ACT Parliamentary Office at act@parliament.govt.nz.

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