Subscribe to RSSOfficials Confirm True SH20 Cost
At today’s ARC transport and urban development committee meeting, the general manager’s report confirms what many have been insisting about the true cost following the revised alignment for the Mt Roskill to Waterview section of State Highway 20 (SH20).
It says that with less property acquisition, this revised alignment is estimated to be cheaper than the previous alignment.
“However the State Highway 16 (SH16) improvements from St Lukes to Te Atatu now include more extensive works estimated to cost more.Therefore the combined SH20 and SH16 project costs are likely to be the same as the previously estimated 1.4 billion.”
No surprise but good to see it in black and white for the records.
The report updating the Western Ring route says the NZTA is working closely with ACC to replace required open space.
Improved pedestrian and cycle routes are planned through the local reserve network, along SH16, and across the SH20 route. NZTA are also working with Forest and Bird in regard the impacts of Traherne Island. The Avondale to Southdown Rail Designation is being moved slightly to the east and into properties on Hendon Avenue. KiwiRail and NZTA are working closely on this matter.
An ‘expo’ will be held in late February to publicise the designs for both SH20 construction and SH16 improvements.
In its update on Onehunga’s train station development, there was no new news unfortunately other than that officers are still liaising with the Auckland Regional Transport Authority to ‘address the outstanding platform design issues and specifications for the “plaza” and park and ride facility.”
11 Comments
There’s another serious problem.
Word on the CBT forum is they no longer require a bunch of Hendon Ave properties because they’ve - get this - moved the Avondale-Southdown rail designation away from where they want the motorway to go, to where the houses are.
They’re using the current rail designation for the motorway, “saving” the houses.
This means the rail designation now goes through that line of Hendon Ave properties, where it previously ran through land that was purposely kept clear.
The consequence of this is that those houses will need to be acquired if the rail corridor goes ahead, making rail look like the bad guy if that happens, but more realistically IMHO it’s gonna reduce the chances of Avondale-Southdown ever being built at all.
Link to CBT discussion - continues onto next page.
John, is the report you talk about (especially about what they are doing with SH16 mitigation) available online?
Sorry, “Jon”, not “John”. Too bad there’s no option to edit your own comments.
@ingolfson The NZTA site about the Waterview plans is http://www.nzta.govt.nz/projects/waterviewconnection/about/
@ingolfson Editing- Yes I must investigate that
I was talking about this - there does not seem to be any new stuff about that on the SH16 and SH20 project websites… where did you have that from?
“Improved pedestrian and cycle routes are planned through the local reserve network, along SH16, and across the SH20 route. NZTA are also working with Forest and Bird in regard the impacts of Traherne Island.”
The motorway is going to be built on land that has been designated for railway purposes, before any motorway was thought of or any house was built in the area. The following quote is from an Auckland city council transport comitee meeting:
“Previous construction options have included the removal of significant numbers of
houses along the northern end of Hendon Avenue. NZTA now advises that the new
construction methodology (and shifting the tunnel portal southwards to better ground
conditions) requires the removal of only three Hendon Avenue houses, although many
remaining properties will require partial land purchase. Importantly, it is likely that many
retained houses avoided by the motorway project will instead need to be removed in the
future to enable the planned Avondale-Southdown rail corridor. Previously the rail
designation passed behind those properties, but with the changes will shift slightly
eastward and encroach upon additional properties.”
@ingolfson from today’s Auckland regional council transport and urban development committee- a report from the ARC general manager which read in full:
On 21 December 2009 the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) announced a revised alignment for the Mt Roskill to Waterview section of State Highway 20 (SH20). Further geological assessment has demonstrated that deeper and longer twin tunnels are possible and result in the revised alignment includes a shorter surface road section and longer twin tunnels. Because these tunnels pass under more reserve land and are deeper this reduces the number of properties affected from 365 to 205 (140 are already owned by the NZTA) and reduces the number of strata titles that the NZTA has to purchase from 111 properties to 105.
The twin tunnels start within Alan Wood Reserve and do not surface until Waterview Park. There is no gap or lid in the middle of the twin tunnels and disruption to Great North Road (GNR) will be greatly reduced as the revised alignment does not involve the cut and cover section under / along GNR. Although a cut and cover section at the northern end of the twin tunnels (as they surface) crosses GNR. With less property acquisition this revised alignment is estimated to be cheaper than the previous alignment. However the State Highway 16 (SH16) improvements from St Lukes to Te Atatu now include more extensive works estimated to cost more.
Therefore the combined SH20 and SH16 project costs are likely to be the same as the previously estimated 1.4 billion.
Uhmmm…. okay - it was on the NEXT page beyond what you quoted but I got it now
Mmmmmh, interesting. They say they AREN’T scheduling Te Atatu - Westgate within the next 10 years… only St Lukes to Atatu.
What gives, did they run out of money already?