Toll road's fate hangs on survey

By MATHEW DEARNALEY

Transit NZ needs strong support from a household survey for charging tolls on its proposed motorway extension north of Orewa, after finding submissions split on the $300 million project.

The 7.5km extension cannot be built as a toll road without approval from Transport Minister Pete Hodgson.

Under new legislation, he must be satisfied it has a high level of support from people living, working or studying close to the road.

This means Transit must rely on findings from a telephone survey of about 630 households from Puhoi to the Whangaparaoa Peninsula, the community it defines as immediately affected by the project, to tip the balance in favour of a toll road.

The highways agency, which fears it could be many years before it wins full funding for the road without tolls, yesterday issued a summary of 620 submissions received on the project.

It said 32 per cent backed a toll road, 16 per cent gave conditional support, and 47 per cent opposed it.

Five per cent stated no preference on the proposal, which includes a $1.80 toll each way - rising in line with inflation.

Transit's Auckland regional manager, Wayne McDonald, said conditions sought by those with reservations included an assurance there was no other way of paying for the road, and an undertaking tolls would cease once the motorway was paid for.

If state funding agency Transfund agrees to contribute $160 million, the rest of the project is expected to be paid off from tolls in 35 years.

Hearings will begin in Orewa next week on submissions from 84 individuals and organisations. Construction could start in December if the project wins approval.

Although the road has all its necessary environmental consents, some opponents will argue that for tolling to be justified, a tunnel should be built to protect the bush and wildlife corridor connecting Johnsons Hill north of Waiwera to Wenderholm Regional Park.

Transit plans a deep cut in the hill for 600m twin viaducts up to 59m high, before the motorway reaches a proposed interchange south of Puhoi with the existing coastal section of State Highway 1, which is to remain an alternative non-tolled route.

But it promises to plant more than a million native plants.

Mr McDonald said the level of support from submitters living near the road, and south of it, was slightly below the overall average.

Asked if the lacklustre support from immediate neighbours spelled trouble for the telephone survey, he said that exercise was aimed at reaching a "silent majority" who were not motivated to fill out submission forms.

He said the number of submissions was a very small sample of the 24,000 households to which information had been sent.