By WAYNE THOMPSON
A $5.7 million shortfall is fuelling fears of a watering-down of North Shore City's proposed world-class busway project.
The shortfall was revealed yesterday when Infrastructure Auckland approved $40 million of the city's application for a $45.7 million grant towards building five busway stations.
They will serve a busway that
will run beside and on the Northern Motorway from south of Esmonde Rd, or Akoranga Station, to Albany Station.
The other stations are at Westlake, Sunnynook and Constellation Drive.
Some have parking for bus passengers and all have pedestrian access and bike storage.
North Shore Mayor George Wood said he was perplexed by Infrastructure's decision. The city had carefully worked out its request, based on providing stations with a high standard of security and decor.
He now had a nagging concern that the city would have to cut corners to get the stations finished by 2005.
North Shore ratepayers were already putting in $10 million towards building the stations.
Mr Wood said alternatives would be explored to ensure the $5.7 million shortfall did not have to come from rates. A fresh grant application was a possibility.
Infrastructure Auckland considered station revenue sources such as advertising, shop rentals and bus operator access fees in making its decision.
Chairman John Robertson said yesterday that the grant request could not be fulfilled because Infrastructure's rules prevented paying for private benefits.
Operating efficiencies would be gained by private bus operators, and about $6.5 million could be recovered from operators in access fees.
The grant is the second biggest to be made by Infrastructure since it was set up in 1998 to fund projects.
Auckland City's Britomart project received $45 million three months ago.
Mr Robertson said the latest grant was 72 per cent of the cost of building the stations and 26 per cent of the project's total cost of $156 million.
The busway is expected to halve travel time from Constellation Drive to Downtown Auckland and to double bus patronage by 2011.
Last week, Transfund New Zealand approved a $10.64 million grant for design work on the 8km bus lane.
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