Wellington inner-city bypass only part of the solution

After 35 years of bitter dispute, Wellington's $38.9 million inner-city bypass is to be built, with work due to start as early as October.

Former transport minister and Rimutaka MP Paul Swain is "thrilled" with the decision but says it is now time to sort out how to get motorists in and out of the city.

State transport funder Transfund approved the bypass yesterday, saying it was satisfied it had "passed the test" and met new government road-building criteria.

Mr Swain said the Government had set a precedent by helping Auckland out of its traffic woes and could be persuaded to come up with a similar solution for Wellington.

His comments follow revelations yesterday that a two-lane clip-on extension to, or double-deck road along, Centennial Highway on the Kapiti coast were among congestion-easing options being considered by government road builder Transit New Zealand.

Recent estimates that a new inland highway through Transmission Gully would cost $830 million meant coastal options had to be looked at again, he said.

But Greater Wellington regional council land transport committee chairman Terry McDavitt said a four-lane coastal expressway between Kapiti and Wellington would cost about $600 million and take 12 years to build.

A Payne Royds report, commissioned by Transit New Zealand in 1999, put the "package" cost at about $256 million.

Mr McDavitt said it allowed for construction only and was outdated. In today's terms, the total project cost would probably be about $600 million.

The coastal route could be build in stages, however, whereas Transmission Gully would have to be built in one go.

Porirua Mayor Jenny Brash said the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment advised against making the coastal route four lanes about 10 years ago, due to the environmental impact of such a project.

Matieu Rei, spokesman for Ngati Toa iwi, was concerned about the impact of widening Centennial Highway on the foreshore, which was a significant paua breeding area.

Transit chief executive Rick van Barneveld said Transmission Gully was still the authority's preferred option, despite the $830 million price tag.

"The figure does not scare Transit, especially since the cost of building Transmission Gully motorway is comparable to other, similar, projects such as Auckland's Orewa to Puhoi motorway."

Meanwhile, Transit was forging ahead with the inner-city bypass, with the project going out to tender on Saturday.

Work would start immediately on the archaeological mapping of sites where designated heritage buildings would be removed to make way for the bypass.

- NZPA