Haast to Milford road indefinitely on hold

A proposal to build a road connecting Haast to the Milford Sound area has been indefinitely put on the back-burner.

The Haast-Hollyford road proposal for the South Island's west coast, considered a potential tourism booster, has been considered by many governments dating back to the start of last century, and while Economic Development Minister Gerry Brownlee has recently shown support for it, he has confirmed there is little prospect of the development getting off the ground any time soon.

The cost of the road has been put at over $300 million, and a recent ministry report on it suggests the benefits to tourism from such a development did not currently weigh up to make it worthy.

"In the current economic environment, while it's prudent to invest in infrastructure, the analysis done by officials to date indicates the Haast to Hollyford route would be a low priority," Mr Brownlee said today.

- NZPA