INDEPENDENT NEWS

Petition launched to support East-West Link

Published: Thu 11 Jan 2018 03:40 PM
Petition launched to support East-West Link
National MPs Denise Lee, Simeon Brown and Jami-Lee Ross have today launched a petition to gather support for the East-West Link which is now uncertain under the new Government.
“In announcing that the East-West Link is being sent back to the drawing board, the new Government has clearly signalled it does not understand the urgency of Auckland’s congestion issues,” Ms Lee says.
“The value of this project to residents, businesses, and the council should make it of utmost importance to the new Government but all we have is uncertainty and the dismissal of a monumental amount of work that has been carried out to date.
“After a decade of planning and $50 million of investigative spending, you would expect that there was a clear direction on the project. This project has been through a fine toothed procedural process like no other. It is supported by council, iwi, and has been approved by the Environmental Protection Agency’s Board of Inquiry.
“The current gridlock is a major barrier to commerce. This is making it difficult for people getting access to their basic daily goods. It is quite literally the bread and butter of transport projects.”
Mr Brown says many residents in Pakuranga work at or own businesses that would have benefitted from this project.
“With freight movements in the area expected to double by 2035 it is an important part of the solution to Auckland’s transport issues.
“The area targeted by the East-West Link employs approximately 68,000 people and contributes roughly $4.6 billion a year to Auckland’s economy. The key aspect of the project is to create a further connection between State Highway 1 and State Highway 20 and improve connections to rail and freight hubs in the area.”
Mr Ross says the hold up on this project means that the wider East Auckland area won’t see the full benefits that would be delivered by transport projects like East-West Link and AMETI.
“Botany is home to the growing East Tamaki industrial area, projects like East-West Link are very important for ensuring that freight can be moved more efficiently in the future.
“This is an important project that the Government has wrongly thrown into uncertainty. We will continue to push the Government to include the project in their plan and we encourage the public to show their support through signing the petition.”
The petition can be found here.

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