Ratepayers to dig deep for highway study

By BERNARD ORSMAN

Auckland City and Manukau ratepayers are being asked to pay a minimum of $5.2 million towards the next planning stage of the eastern highway.

This follows the failure by council officers and consultants to secure a 100 per cent subsidy from Transfund for a second detailed study into the controversial 25km highway, which would run from the city across Hobson Bay and through the eastern suburbs to Manukau.

Ratepayers will now have to commit millions of dollars over the next two financial years. Auckland City's contribution is $2.9 million and Manukau's $2.3 million.

After strong lobbying, the Transfund board has agreed to put money into the study at the rate of 48 per cent. Based on the councils' contribution of $5.186 million, the Transfund contribution will be $4.78 million.

Transfund chairman David Stubbs, who has questioned the wisdom of giving public money to the $460 million project when there will be no funding for construction within 10 years, said the board had agreed to finance up to but not including the preparation of notification-of-design requirements and consent applications.

Transfund was keen to secure the route and determine whether the project was viable, he said.

The councils, with support from the road-building agency Transit NZ, asked Transfund to pay all of the $13.3 million for a second study.

Transit chief executive Dr Robin Dunlop said yesterday that it still planned to pay for 25 per cent of the study but had not lodged an application for the money with Transfund.

Eastern corridor director Grant Kirby last night told the Auckland City Council there was enough money to proceed with the 14-month study.

Opus International Consultants have been chosen from four tenders to carry out the work, at a cost of $8.7 million. They will examine the options in detail and assess the environmental effects so the councils can choose a route and seek resource consents.

Mr Kirby's team of consultants, legal costs and investigations into financing the project are other items within the $13.3 million budget.