After public outcry, NZTA reinstates features to Ō2NL Highway
After extensive public concern over proposed design changes to the Ōtaki to north of Levin highway, the NZTA Board has confirmed it will reinstate several critical features to the project.
Last month, 1News reported the Horowhenua community said it had been "blindsided" by the changes to the expressway project to cut costs, which included scaling back the planned interchange to a roundabout.
'This is a significant and very welcome moment for Horowhenua,' Mayor Bernie Wanden said today.
'We've done it,' Ōtaki MP Tim Costley said.
Additional funding has been confirmed for Tararua Rd in Levin to be a grade-separated interchange.
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The southern connection, near Taylors Rd, would include a southbound onramp, allowing vehicles travelling south on the current SH1 to join the Peka Peka to Ōtaki expressway north of Ōtaki.
The local road at Manakau Heights would be connected across the new highway via a bridge.
'It's not just a good outcome; it's the right outcome,' Wanden said.
By 2040, Horowhenua was expected to have an additional 16,000 people living in the district, and more than 760,000 people living within an hour's drive.
'We understand people were frustrated, even disillusioned at times, but this outcome shows what's possible when a community comes together and speaks with clarity and conviction.
"It's a win not just for us, but for future generations who will benefit from this safer, more resilient corridor,' Wanden said.
The Ōtaki to north of Levin project has been coming for a decade and locals want the road they were promised. (Source: 1News)
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NZTA chief executive Brett Gliddon said the agency considered value for money options — and listened to community feedback.
The Ō2NL project was part of the Government's Roads of National Significance, and construction was set to begin later this year, with the road scheduled to open in 2029.
'Together we have secured the road we wanted,' Costley said.
'This decision shows the value in have strong local advocacy, and strong representatives fighting our local cause in Wellington and across the region.'
The construction and operation of the road wouldl have a range of economic benefits associated with population and urban growth, employment, and economic activity.
NZTA documents showed that the overall net GDP impact of the project was estimated at between $1.157 billion and $1.258 billion.
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