Highway reactions mixed

Residents turned out in large numbers last month to view the proposed route of a new four-lane highway, between Puhoi and Warkworth.

Four public information days were held between November 20 and 28, and the NZ Transport Agency has committed if necessary to hold further meetings in January prior to their feedback closing date of January 28. The first two sessions attracted more than 400 visitors.

NZTA Auckland/Northland director Stephen Town says feedback has been mixed.

Commenting on concerns about the northern access, Mr Town says Warkworth is likely to experience a degree of natural growth between now and the completion of the road in eight to 10 years time.

“I’d imagine the town will look significantly different by the time the road opens,” he says. “We’ve suggested that talking through the issues is the best option at this stage.”

He says NZTA is committed to the Western Collector road through a Memorandum of Understanding with Rodney District Council. The new highway project also provides for a Matakana link.

Both issues, as well as access to Puhoi, will be discussed in more detail with Auckland Council.

Meanwhile, NZTA says the section of highway between Warkworth and Wellsford faced a number of geological challenges, with unstable ground around the Dome Valley, which required further investigation. As a result, consultation on that section is unlikely to occur for a further six to 12 months.

The new route from Puhoi traverses 55 private properties, including two large forestry blocks. The $1.65 billion project is expected to reduce the travelling time between Warkworth and Puhoi by five to seven minutes. The target starting date for construction, which is expected to start at the Warkworth end of the highway, is 2014.

Read comments from the open days below and see the online comments here, plus add yours.

Colin Greenslade member of the community liaison group: “They’re crazy. This will kill the town. If people coming to Warkworth have to turn off at the Kaipara Flats Road and then go through the Hill Street intersection, they’ll go somewhere else next time because its ridiculous. Woodcocks Road would have been sensible in the longterm because of the future plans for that area and the linking roads. It’s all just a mess.”

Rodney Local Board member James Rolfe: “From a Wellsford perspective I’m disappointed they haven’t been able to finalise a route that goes all the way north. It is quite a controversial issue up here. Some are completely opposed and others are not. The most important thing is just to get some certainty of what the route will be and its unfortunate that we don’t know and won’t know for a while yet.”

Dean Watson, of Warkworth: Overall, it’s a good route but there’s some fine-tuning to be done. For instance, how will motorway traffic access Warkworth’s industrial area? It looks to me like trucks that are doing business in Warkworth will still have to drive through the town to access the industrial area.

Donald Stubbs, Warkworth: It (the motorway) has to happen, but I feel very sorry for the people who are directly affected. People in Wyllies Road, for instance, who have built there for the peace and quiet. The access has to go somewhere and wherever it ends up, we will get used to it. The northern access makes sense if it connects up with a road to Matakana.

David and Jean Morrison, Matakana: Our concern is the access off the motorway. It doesn’t make sense to get off at Kaipara Flats Road and then have to go back into Warkworth to get to Matakana. They’ll be solving one problem and creating another. Unless an access is provided through to Matakana, they will be creating an even worse bottleneck at Hill Street.

Mick Saunders, Perry Road: The route comes to within about half a kilometre of us, but we’ll be able to see it from our house so there will be both noise and visual impacts. The present highway is about 1.5 kms away – our property at present is quiet and secluded. We’ll probably look at selling but the biggest issue is how this will devalue our property. Nobody seems keen to talk about compensation, but my understanding is that you’re only eligible for compensation if the highway comes to within 200 metres of your property.

Lucia and Herman Regtien, Auckland: We’ve just put a deposit on a villa at the Summerset Village in Woodcocks Road so were very interested to see where the on and off ramps would be. We’ve chosen to retire to Warkworth for the peace and quite, and because we enjoy to be around nature. Retirement homes in Auckland are more like military camps and many are built right by the motorway. The northern access is better for us, but we understand the locals may have concerns

Wharehine managing director Steve Dodd: The alignment is certainly suitable for what NZTA is trying to achieve, which is an expressway heading north. Certainly, limited access points help achieve capability to convey traffic efficiently. The roundabout at the northern end of Warkworth provides good access for trucks travelling from Matakana Quarry, that need to access the expressway. It will be important to develop a Matakana link road to allow two options to access the State Highway network and reduce the traffic volume through the Hill Street intersection. This type of alignment gives the opportunity to reduce heavy vehicle movements through Hill Street and near schools.
It is disappointing that, as yet, NZTA has not acknowledged the importance of a full interchange at Woodcocks Road. This would allow direct access to the linkup to SH16. Again, trucks would not have to go through the town to travel from the quarry to SH16. The interchange would also provide for access to Warkworth township via Woodcocks Road for all other road users, which is paramount in keeping Warkworth a vibrant, commercially viable town. The proposed Western Collector Road needs to be built to ensure traffic can get from the northern access point to the Woodcocks Road industrial area and Stockyard Falls, without having to pass the college.

Related story: 3D simulation video of route plus comments

Published December 2010