By WAYNE THOMPSON
A planned $68 million upgrade of the Southern Motorway to serve the growing East Tamaki industrial area will come at the cost of 44 homes in Otahuhu and Otara.
The homes are in the path of works proposed to widen the motorway to eight lanes between two new interchanges at Otahuhu and Waiouru Peninsula on the south bank of the Tamaki River.
In total, land from 120 properties will be taken in varying amounts.
Transit New Zealand said yesterday that compensation would be available to affected property owners.
The project could start late next year and take two years.
Transit and Manukau City Council want to link the widened motorway to a proposed arterial road through the Waiouru Peninsula to East Tamaki.
Transit's regional transport manager, Richard Hancy, said the project was needed because of rapid expansion of the East Tamaki area which already provided jobs for 17,000 people.
The Highbrook Business Park to be established on the Waiouru Peninsula would provide a further 12,000 jobs when developed.
The East Tamaki area would be a major regional employment centre by 2011, with up to 37,000 people employed there, he said.
To service this centre, better access to the Southern Motorway, Auckland City and the Port of Auckland was essential.
The project would reduce traffic congestion, although volumes in Princes St, Otahuhu, would increase from 14,000 vehicles a day to 24,000. Residents will make submissions on the project next week.
About 400 are expected from the Sikh community, whose temple near the Princes St interchange will lose street car parking.
Housing NZ also opposes the route, which affects its properties.
An Auckland City Council report said that those displaced by the project had fewer choices over where they could move to and others would have property values lowered by the motorway coming nearer.
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