Project Auckland: East west passage eagerly awaited

The East-West Link will make a big difference to O-I New Zealand's glass bottle manufacturing business.

Completion of the new motorway link can't come soon enough for Onehunga and Penrose, writes Brett Gliddon

The manufacturing and industrial hub of Onehunga and Penrose is waiting with bated breath for the East-West Link, a new four-lane road between Auckland's Southwestern and Southern motorways.

Many of the consumer goods which are transported and delivered throughout New Zealand start their journey in the Onehunga-Penrose area.

As a key contributor to the country's economy, the area needs to be supported by an efficient and reliable transport network.

The area employs about 68,000 people and contributes $4.6 billion a year to Auckland's economy. The Auckland Plan estimates that improving freight efficiency will contribute to an increase in GDP per capita from 2.9 per cent to 4.6 per cent.

For businesses like O-I New Zealand, the East-West Link is a key connection to the global marketplace.

O-I New Zealand has been operating its glass bottle manufacturing factory in Penrose for almost 100 years. It produces the majority of glass bottles made in New Zealand and supports the growing premium New Zealand wine industry.

The bottles come off the production line in Penrose before they are packed in shipping containers at another site in Onehunga, and then trucked to the port to be shipped on to Nelson, Christchurch and Dunedin.

O-I's Head of Supply Chain, Angela Johnson, says the East-West Link will make a big difference to its business. She says the new road gives a real opportunity for businesses like O-I to move more easily and efficiently around the area which will deliver time and cost savings. That will enable them to provide certainty to their customers that they are able to deliver their bottles on time, every time, whether that's to local customers here or to customers overseas.

She says the wine industry in New Zealand is growing and the East-West Link will support her business to grow alongside it. It's hoped that this will attract more and more associated businesses to the 'cluster' of producers in the Onehunga and Penrose area supporting the wine industry.

The East-West Link is a key part of the greater Western Ring Route that connects State Highways 1 and 20 and is part of the transport investment needed to build a prosperous Auckland.

However, it acknowledges the current transport connections into and through the area are either incomplete or highly congested. This makes it slower and more expensive to move freight, and these costs are passed on to customers. It also makes it harder for local residents and businesses to get around.

With freight movements expected to double by 2035, we need to start building solutions now.

More than 80 per cent of those working in the Onehunga-Penrose area travel from other parts of Auckland, and the project will help their commuting. Taking traffic off local roads will make public transport more efficient, while 16kms of new cycling and walking paths will mean travel times are also reduced for those walking and biking to work.

There are also benefits for smaller local businesses and the community. Our vision is to create an area where the community gets its streets back.

By taking freight off local roads it will free up Onehunga's town centre, making it a safer and more attractive place to work and live. This will also mean local business owners can safely and reliably access their properties and their markets.

We want to make it easier for them to do business, by creating more reliable journey times.

The Transport Agency is working with Auckland Council, Panuku Development Auckland, Auckland Transport, Mana Whenua, and the community to make the Onehunga Wharf and waterfront more accessible, and help reconnect the communities with the Manukau Harbour.

We want to replicate many of the community facilities that we have created along with Auckland Council on the Onehunga Foreshore. This area has become a popular recreational area and the East-West Link can extend these benefits and create a more natural coastal edge that better reflects the original shoreline.

Brett Gliddon is the Auckland Highway Manager for NZ Transport Agency