Image shows impact of eastern highway

By BERNARD ORSMAN

A computer-generated image of the proposed eastern highway along Tamaki Drive has been released by the Hobson Bay Residents' Network to illustrate the impact of the $3.5 billion project.

Network co-ordinator Christine Caughey yesterday said the highway would destroy the unique visual, recreational, cultural, ecological and geological features of Tamaki Drive, Hobson Bay, Orakei Basin, Purewa Creek and Judges Bay.

"This priceless part of our city is not the council's to take away," she told Auckland City councillors.

The network caused a storm in April when it released a computer-generated image of a big roundabout along the Parnell tunnel route.

Last month, the council abandoned the Parnell tunnel option in favour of bringing the highway into the city across Hobson Bay.

Now the network, whose co-ordinators include high-profile lawyers John Haigh, QC, and John Billington, QC, are turning up the heat to stop the destruction of Hobson Bay.

About 11,000 leaflets, headed A Motorway Along Your Priceless Waterfront? and showing the Tamaki Drive graphic, are being delivered at the weekend to homes in Parnell, Remuera, Meadowbank and Orakei.

This will be followed by a public meeting at Holy Trinity Cathedral on June 22 to build pressure on councillors in the lead-up to a final decision on the Hobson Bay crossing on June 30 and October's local body elections.

There are signs that the Hobson Bay Community Board, controlled by pro-highway Auckland Citizens & Ratepayers Now members, is backing off an early start on the highway.

Chairman Troy Churton said the highway should not come into Hobson until the western ring road, spaghetti junction and the Newmarket Viaduct upgrade were finished.

Christine Caughey said the computer-generated graphic was "deliberately conservative" and based on the little information revealed by the council for the highway to cross Hobson Bay.

The leaflet said council information created a corridor comprising two rail lines, 10 traffic lanes, parking, a cycleway, footpath and planting.

The leaflet said 80 per cent of port traffic was likely to use the highway, which would mean trucks using the highway 24 hours a day pumping noise and fumes, and bright lights at night.

The eastern transport corridor communications manager, Darrell Carlin, said the Hobson Bay Residents' Network's graphic gave a reasonable view of what the corridor would look like from an elevated position, keeping in mind that there would be more design work.

The graphic appeared to show all lanes being used by general traffic when there were two bus lanes, he said.

Mr Carlin said the proposal would improve the recreational value and make a safer drive along Tamaki Drive and not impact on the Parnell Baths or Judges Bay because all reclamation would be on the seaward side.

"The corridor will take trucks off local roads so there will be an improvement in safety and noise reduction on local streets," he said.

A March report by Opus International Consultants, contracted by Auckland and Manukau councils and Transit to come up with a route for the highway, showed the need to reclaim Tamaki Drive to allow for at least three traffic lanes and one bus lane in each direction.

It would also allow for a cycle lane, walkway, slip road and angle parking along Tamaki Drive.

Bus lanes from Panmure to the city might be dropped if trains can be made to run at intervals of less than 10 minutes.

The Orakei-bound highway would be raised about 3m near the Outboard Boating Club to allow two city-bound Tamaki Drive lanes to pass under the highway, the Opus report said.

Christine Caughey said the proposed highway would only add to traffic congestion and air pollution. She challenged the council to spend the billions of dollars developing a world-class public transport system with new electrified trains the only form of transport across Hobson Bay.

Mayor John Banks said the region planned to spend $1.5 billion on public transport over the next 10 years. Motorway completion would cost about $10 billion and more than $15 billion over the next 15 years.

Highway plan

The official view on Tamaki Drive

Tamaki Drive widened by reclamation into Waitemata Harbour from Mechanics Bay to Outboard Boating Club.

Widening allows for three traffic lanes and one bus lane in each direction.

Widening allows for a separate cycle lane, walkway, slip road and parking lane.

Orakei-bound lanes raised 3m to allow for two city-bound Tamaki Drive lanes to pass under the highway.

Orakei-bound highway can join Tamaki Drive and city-bound, Tamaki Drive traffic can join the highway.

City-bound traffic using Tamaki Drive cannot join the highway and travel south.

Highway follows the eastern side of the railway line on a low-level bridge across Hobson Bay.

* Source: Opus International Consultants