Industry ready and waiting to deliver the Waterview Project to meet regional and community expectations

"There will be a strong bidding process for the completion of SH20 Waterview Connection, announced today by Transport Minister, Steven Joyce. Already there are three separate consortia ready to bid on the completion of this project by 2015", says Stephen Selwood, Chief Executive of the New Zealand Council for Infrastructure Development.

In each case the consortia involve both New Zealand and international companies.

The decision to run the bidding design process in parallel with the consenting process not only means that the construction can commence sooner than would have otherwise been possible, it will also allow both design and construction innovation to be brought to the table as part of the consenting process. Preferably the consents will be in the form of the outcomes the region is seeking, rather than requiring detailed step by step design. Describing an envelope of effects which clearly specifies the standards of performance for air, noise and water quality, together with the expectations of the community that the project must deliver, will then encourage competitive design and construction innovation to meet or exceed those standards.

NZCID says that the completion of the Waterview Connection is New Zealand's most significant transport investment which will have major economic and social benefits to Auckland and New Zealand as a whole. The Waterview Connection will enable a high quality connection from the airport to the city, will dramatically improve connectivity between western and south Auckland and is vital to the creation of jobs and growth across the region. It will also provide a viable alternative north south route to the heavily congested State Highway 1 corridor with consequential productivity gains across the entire Auckland region and nationally.

ENDS

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