Auckland Transport’s (AT) Matakana Link Road team may be forced to return to the drawing board after people at the first public consultation meeting were angered that none of the four options presented connected to the motorway.
The meeting was held on May 6 at the Mahurangi Rugby Football Club where five AT representatives took questions and ran a presentation for more than 50 people.
The presentation was interrupted early on by Grant Reddell, the owner and managing director of Northwood Developments, who is developing a subdivision in Northwood Close, off Matakana Road.
“Why is the link road not aligned with the motorway, which will mean traffic will have to follow this silly zigzag?” he asked.
AT delivery manager north and west David Nelson said that AT could not address that issue in this project as the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) was managing the motorway.
AT added later that where the link road met SH1 would later connect to the Western Collector road, which meant that vehicles on the collector route would not have to make an unnecessary trip on to SH1.
AT was asked at the meeting what it would do if people were not in favour of any of the current link road options.
“I don’t have an answer if you don’t want any of the options,” David said.
Another person commented that the problem was that each project had a different team managing it and that the two transport bodies needed to coordinate their work better and look at the bigger picture.
Don Tomlinson, whose property is on Matakana Road near Clayden Road, was concerned about the proximity of the link road options to the Warkworth Showgrounds and the route that would cross through about eight-hectares of his family’s covenanted bush.
Don’s grandparents bought 48 hectares between SH1 and Matakana Road in 1920. The farm was handed down to Don’s father who put the area of bush to the east of the showgrounds into the Queen Elizabeth II National Trust in 1989.
Don questioned AT on why he wasn’t notified that one option would cross through this area.
His father also sold the flat area of land they owned to Rodney County Council for a community space, which was now the showgrounds.
“We’ve got hectares of sports fields here and you’re going to run a four lane highway right next to them,” Don said.
“I think it’s clear that AT doesn’t want to spend money on this and has taken the cheapest option with their routes.”
David Nelson said prior to the meeting, AT did receive feedback that Option B ran too close to the showgrounds facility. He added that the Rodney Local Board would advise them on how parking options at the showgrounds could be affected by the link road.
