The Coastal Highway and Transmission Gully

The Wellingtonistas received this email yesterday & given the importance of safe & efficent transport routes in & out of the region, we think it's a good idea to pass it on to our readers to consider, and even make a submission if you so desire.

The Coastal Highway and Transmission Gully

Dear Wellingtonistas

The Greater Wellington Regional Council is currently consulting on the Coastal Highway Northern access route. This consultation is part of the formal process to decide on future Northern road access for the region.

The choice between the Coastal Highway and Transmission Gully roads is one of the biggest road decisions facing motorists in the Wellington region and will affect access into and out of Wellington for decades to come. The AA (Wellington District) believes it is important that you, Wellington AA Members, are given the opportunity to have your say.

You can make a submission on the Western Corridor Plan by clicking here. This will take you directly to the submission form on the Greater Wellington Regional Council website.

There is no wrong way to make a submission, you can just say what you think.

Submissions close at 5:00pm on Friday 4 November 2005.

What the AA thinks:

The AA Wellington District Council will be making a submission in support of the Transmission Gully road. This submission will be available for viewing on the AA website from 4 November 2005. We set out our reasoning below.

We have been working closely on behalf of Members with the relevant decision makers to promote and support a positive decision to build Transmission Gully. It has not always been easy. Initially costs for all options were beyond the resources available to the region. The Government then made extra funds available, for improved Northern access but these were only enough for the Coastal Highway option, and not for Transmission Gully.

The Finance Minister recently signalled his support for a staged approach for the development of the Transmission Gully road with the Northern section through to Pauahatanui being constructed as phase 1. We had been advocating for this option to be considered for some time as an affordable first stage solution for the region.

The chart below compares the two roads. This is not a full comparison of the two roads options but highlights some of the differences we believe are of interest to motorists.

Click here to view the chart.

*Costs quoted are the preliminary costs from the Transit New Zealand consultation document.

Thank you for your time, please feel free to forward this email to interested friends and family.
Yours sincerely

John Christianson

District Chairman
WELLINGTON DISTRICT COUNCIL
The New Zealand Automobile
Association Incorporated