Transport Minister Simeon Brown said the improvements will be a game-changer
for Northland. He’s right. For far too long Northland has had too little
attention to its roading infrastructure.
He said,
"For
too long, the lack of resilient transport connections between Northland and the
rest of the country has been a handbrake on the region’s economic development.”
“The last
Government’s decision to stop planning for a replacement to the Brynderwyns has
left Northland more vulnerable and requires a significant amount of work to get
this project back on track.”
He’s right about that too. This is in stark contrast to the Labour government that shelved the roading projects.
Minister
Brown said the three phases would be treated as one project. Phase one is from Warkworth
to Te Hana. Phase two extends from Te Hana to Port Marsden and includes the
Brynderwyn Hills bypass. The final phase is from Port Marsden to Whangārei.
The Fast Track legislation and the
Public Works Act will be used to accelerate the project and avoid the
significant delays encountered by the northern motorway extension to Puhoi
where radical environmentalists held up the project for years.
This is great news for Northland. A highway connecting Auckland and
Whangarei is expected to bring accelerated growth measured in decades as the
North catches up on lost opportunities.
NRC STANDS IN THE WAY
Not everyone is happy with the
government using the Fast Track legislation to extend the northern motorway to
Whangarei. The Northland Regional Council (NRC) says the legislation is too
focused on significant benefits!
It is now very clear that the NRC
is an obstacle in the way of progress in Northland. It’s time for a clean-out
in October 2025.
Further information
