It is disgraceful that safety upgrades to the Wellington region’s most dangerous road have been delayed indefinitely thanks to a lack of funding by the Government, Nation-al’s Transport spokesperson Chris Bishop says.

“The Government confirmed in Parliament today that upgrades to State Highway 58, from Pauatahanui to Upper Hutt, will not be in place before the Transmission Gully mo-torway opens.

“In the past week alone there have been four accidents on SH58, which is statistically the Wellington region’s most dangerous road.

“Residents along SH58 are crying out for urgent action and are angry that construction of two roundabouts have been delayed, despite funding having previously been ap-proved.

“The upgrades were meant to be in place by the time Transmission Gully opens next year, which will add thousands of cars to the route.

“The Automobile Association estimates that deaths and serious injuries on SH58 could nearly double once Transmission Gully opens, but the Government still won’t act.

“These delays fly in the face of its alleged commitment to saving lives. The Government is quick to trumpet road safety as a priority and claim funding has increased, yet there is no money for Wellington’s most dangerous road.

“The delayed safety upgrades comes on the back of news that the new Melling Inter-change in Lower Hutt has been delayed until 2028 or later, while the Petone to Grena-da link road has been effectively cancelled and the Cross Valley Link is on the never-never.

“The Government is failing Wellington and the Hutt Valley.”

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