Transit coy over bypass toll zones

Transit New Zealand is guarding its options on where it might charge motorists tolls for using parts or even all of the proposed 35km western bypass of Auckland.

The roading agency says it needs to borrow about $1 billion over 10 years, in addition to an expected $3.2 billion of Government construction grants for new Auckland highways, to complete the partly built ring route from Manukau to Albany within that time.

But Transit chief executive Rick van Barneveld said last night that his board had yet to consider which parts of the route - a combination of State Highway 20, the Northwestern Motorway and the proposed Upper Harbour Motorway - would be tolled.

He said tolls would not necessarily be confined to a proposed $1.2 billion extension of SH20 through Avondale to the Northwestern, or a $184 million duplicate of Mangere Bridge, projects listed yesterday as needing tolls for early construction.

He indicated that the 4km Avondale link, some of which would be laid through "cut and cover" tunnels, would be too short to be tolled on its own..

Although a 5km bypass of Hobsonville costing $174 million has been brought forward to start within the next year, regardless of tolling decisions, Mr van Barneveld would not rule out charging motorists to use it.

"For example, there is a possibility of raising money for Avondale by tolling Hobsonville."

Mr van Barneveld has previously suggested to the Herald that motorists might be given a choice between queuing in congested toll-free lanes, or paying to use fast lanes.

The slow lanes would fulfil a legal requirement for a free route to be available as a practical alternative to any tolled road.

But last night, he said Transit might even consider relying on SH1 as the required alternative route to a tolled western bypass, although he emphasised decisions were still months away and would need strong community support.

The tolling prospect has been raised as bulldozers prepare to start construction next month of a 4km extension for $169 million of the Southwestern Motorway through Mt Roskill to Maioro St in New Windsor.

Bids are also being evaluated for work to start next year on a 4km extension for $174 million at the other end of the motorway, through Manukau to join the Southern Motorway.

Other Transit announcements yesterday included accelerated starts to $88 million of projects to widen the Northwestern Motorway, between Waterview and Rosebank Rd, and from Te Atatu to Royal Rd.

Mr van Barneveld said these were needed to provide "balanced" road capacity on the western ring route.

Although Transit won indications of support for tolls from several business leaders at a meeting in Auckland yesterday, one man questioned the extra cost and time required for laying parts of the Avondale extension through tunnels.

But Prime Minister Helen Clark, through whose Mt Albert electorate the road will go, told him it came down to whether people wanted "21st century" motorways.

"If you have this proposed state highway going through built-up areas which have also come to rely on a green belt, that's very important to the urban environment and having liveable, sustainable communities," she said.

"If you want a smoother ride through the planning process, certainly you must take into account levels of mitigation required both for liveable communities and a first-class transport system."

Although Transit has yet to decide the final route for joining the Avondale extension to the Northwestern Motorway, Mr van Barneveld said it preferred a link at Waterview rather than the Rosebank Peninsula.

The Auckland Regional Council withheld support for the Waterview route late in 2003, believing it was not given enough details for a rigorous analysis, but Mr van Barneveld said the route would allow better road and public transport links from Auckland City to Mangere.