We need Transmission Gully asap

The independent Board of Inquiry’s final approval of the Transmission Gully route north of Wellington is great news after almost fifty years of debate about the route, says Fran Wilde, Chair of Greater Wellington Regional Council.

“More than 23,000 vehicles travel daily on SH1 between Kapiti and Wellington City and the road is not coping. Levels of congestion at peak hour and at weekends are crippling and the crash rates on some parts of this route are unacceptable.

“In recent years we have had more frequent examples of the unreliability of the Centennial Highway, not just closure because of crashes but also extreme weather events.

“The new Transmission Gully route – which has higher seismic resilience than the present route – will help to future proof  our region

“This is not only the main highway between Kapiti and Wellington – and all the communities in between – but it is the main route for freight from the top of the North Island into the South Island. In economic terms New Zealand cannot afford to have such an unreliable stretch of road.

“Building the gully route will also free up local roads from the current pressure and make them safer for local people in their daily connections with schools and shops.

“The key thing now is funding and we hope the Government will commit to an early start on the project,” Fran Wilde said.