Submission guide on proposal for tolled road between Puhoi and Warkworth

The date for sending in a submission on this issue has passed.

Submission Guide for New Tolled Road between Puhoi and Warkworth

The NZTA has put forward a proposal for a new tolled road between Puhoi and Warkworth. This road would take 9 years to complete and cost roughly $1.7 billion. You can find out more about the proposed alignment here on NZTA's website. This motorway would have devastating environmental and economic impacts on Auckland, Rodney and Northland.

To make a submission you need to provide contact details

When completing your submission include your full contact details at the top including your full name, phone number, email address, postal address, and the town or city you live in.

How and when to submit

Submissions are due by the 28th of January. To give NZTA feedback on their proposal you can either email them a submission at puhoi-wellsford [at] nzta [dot] govt [dot] nz, fill out their online form, or mail them at Puhoi to Wellsford road of national significance, PO Box 9806, Newmarket, Auckland, 1149.

Key comments you can make about the current proposal for a tolled road include:

I am opposed to the New Zealand Transport Agency's (NZTA) proposal to create an entirely new tolled motorway between Puhoi and Warkworth. I believe that this proposal will have many negative impacts on Rodney and the Auckland and Northland regions because it:

• is uneconomic: the business case shows that the costs of the proposal exceed the economic benefits my region will receive from it
• will take 9 years to complete, thus delaying much needed safety improvements to SH1 and leading to the loss of many more lives on this dangerous road
• cost over $1.7 billion and only lead to very minimal savings in travel times
• have major environmental impacts on vegetation and landscapes due to the huge earthworks that will be required to build the motorway
• create more urban sprawl up the eastern coast of Rodney, leading to more loss of prime agricultural land and threatening the peaceful semi-rural lifestyle of the area
• encourage more residents of the area to shop in big shopping centres such as Albany, to the detriment of smaller town centres such as Warkworth and Wellsford
• lead to more people driving long distances to work in Auckland and the North Shore which will create more air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions

You can suggest a better alternative to the NZTA which is to upgrade the existing SH1. For example you might say:

I would prefer the NZTA to investigate making upgrades to the existing SH1 such as:

• putting a bypass around Warksworth and Wellsford to reduce congestion during holiday weekends
• installing more safety features such as wire or concrete medians throughout Dome Valley and Schedewys Hill. Also, installing concrete barriers on the side of the road in particularly dangerous sections where people tend to skid off the side.
• investigating whether a realignment of SH1 through Schedwys Hills is possible and, if so, how much it would cost and what the safety/time saving benefits would be
• lengthen existing passing lanes in areas where they are most needed
• widen road to 3 lanes at particularly congested points

Reasons why upgrading the existing SH1 would be a better idea than introducing a new tolled route include:

• It would be much cheaper and thus save money which could be invested into improving sustainable transport options such as buses and rail in Rodney, Auckland and Northland
• be more cost-effective and better value for money
• have far fewer environmental impacts (as it would not require NZTA to clear major areas of bush or build viaducts as is proposed for the new tolled motorway)
• it could be completed far more quickly, thus saving many lives which will otherwise be lost over the next 10 years on the existing SH1
• likely not require the removal of any houses (unlike the current proposal which will affect 60 houses in the area)
• not take as long to construct which will mean less noise, traffic disruption and dust for those living close to the path of the motorway

You can also add your own thoughts and experiences about what is needed for the motorway based on living and travelling in the area.

If you'd like help getting started then you can dowload the submission below and use it a starting point to add your own thoughts. When completed mail or email your submission to the NZTA at the details given above. Remember the closing date for submissions is the 28th of January so only a month away.