Freight focus on preferred SH1-20 East-West Link

Freight focus on preferred SH1-20 East-West Link – “strongly endorsed”

National Road Carriers chief executive David Aitken has strongly endorsed the preferred option confirmed today by the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) and Auckland Transport for the East West Connections project to improve freight connections into and out of the Onehunga-Southdown-Penrose industrial hub.

The preferred route is for a full connection on the north side of the Mangere Inlet between SH1 at Mt Wellington and SH20 at Onehunga.

The preferred route will comprise a new ‘limited access’ state highway (not a motorway) that follows the northern Mangere Inlet foreshore from the SH20 Gloucester Park Interchange and links up with the Southern Motorway at Mt Wellington via Sylvia Park Road.

“It is excellent news that NZTA and Auckland Transport have agreed that a patch-up involving existing roads and traffic lights would do nothing to improve freight efficiency and road safety, and have instead selected a new route option specifically focused on improving freight access into and out of Onehunga-Southdown,” he said.

“With heavy congestion on local roads most working days and expectations that freight and truck activity will double over the next 20 years, we believe design and build of a single, integrated freight corridor that has seamless connections to the existing network (SH1 & SH20) as soon as possible is critical.

With today’s announcement he anticipated a fast transfer of focus into the next steps of the project – consent, design and construction – especially given the announcement two years ago by the Prime Minister that East-West would be its next major focus for improving the Auckland transport network.

Mr Aitken noted that businesses in the industrial suburbs along the northern edge of the Mangere Inlet are home to logistics businesses that employ around 64,000 people (second only to central Auckland) and make a critical contribution to the Auckland and national economy.

“Freight moves the Auckland and New Zealand economy. The road network linking the freight distribution companies located around Southdown and Onehunga with the rest of Auckland is critical to the efficient functioning of Auckland’s day-to-day economy, as are the daily freight trips that are generated from this area that service the provincial centres of Auckland’s neighbour regions.”

ENDS

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