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Work on the new-look Hill Street could start as early as next year.
A major upgrade to the troubled Hill Street intersection now looks certain after Auckland Council’s Planning Committee confirmed funding for it last week.
The Planning Committee overwhelmingly voted for a revised Regional Land Transport Plan, which included $4.7 million to fix Hill Street.
The funding was due to be confirmed by the Auckland Transport (AT) board this week, but Rodney Councillor Greg Sayers said this was essentially a rubber-stamping exercise.
The $4.7 million represents only one quarter of the cost of fixing Hill Street, the remainder of the money will have to come from the Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency (NZTA).
Cr Sayers said Auckland Transport has had strong indications from NZTA that it would approve the funding when the NZTA board meets in August.
Deputy mayor Bill Cashmore said the design and detailed business case for the Hill Street upgrade had also been approved and the build would start as soon as practicable following the opening of the Puhoi to Warkworth motorway, scheduled for May next year.
The re-designed Hill Street intersection will employ a dual roundabout, which the majority of residents approved when AT consulted on different design options in late 2018.
Warkworth Transport Forum co-chair Dave Stott says the progress on Hill Street reflects the efforts of many local people who have campaigned for improvements for years.
“I’ve been involved for eight to 10 years, but there are people long before me who have been campaigning for the intersection going back 30 years,” he says. “A lot of people who were involved originally are probably no longer here, sadly.”
Mr Stott said people who had worked tirelessly behind the scenes included Transport Forum member Roger Williams and Rodney Local Board member Beth Houlbrooke. Also, local MPs Marja Lubeck and Chris Penk, and before them Mark Mitchell.
Mr Stott said prior to the Planning Committee meeting he had sent a letter to local community organisations asking them to sign a letter backing the Hill Street proposal to be sent to all Auckland councillors.
“We got about 20 community organisations within the Mahurangi area who came out in support, from Mathesons Bay to Puhoi,” he said. “There are not many places in New Zealand where you would find so many organisations all on the same page.”
