Thomas Nash, chair of Wellington Regional Council’s transport committee
Photo: Thomas Nash

The Government’s plan for Wellington’s new road tunnels must be balanced with investment in public transport, a regional councilor says.

Transport Minister Simeon Brown revealed the government’s preferred plan to reduce congestion and create a faster route to the airportincluding two new tunnels and a grade separation in the Basin Reserve.

The first new tunnel would run under Mount Victoria, 0.7 km long, parallel to the existing tunnel, and the second would run parallel to the existing Terrace Tunnel, measuring 0.5 km.

The government had already launched the idea of ​​a “long tunnel” of 4 km under the city.

Wellington Regional Council transport committee chair Thomas Nash said the current plan would funnel large numbers of cars into the city centre.

It is important to invest in rapid bus lines and rail lines so people do not need to use a car and get stuck in traffic jams in Te Aro, he said.

“We need a coherent and balanced package between rail, bus and road – and this is only one piece of the puzzle.”

Transport Minister Simeon Brown.
Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver

Nash said the two tunnel project would reduce traffic on the port quays, which supports the council’s proposed bus route along these routes – but he said this project had not secured government funding .

The rail network will need billions of dollars of investment over the next 10 or 20 years to transport people to and from Kāpiti, the Hutt Valley and Wairarapa, he said.

“It would be great to secure that investment at the same time as an investment that would essentially funnel a lot of drivers into the city center.”

Announcing the plan on Tuesday, Brown said modeling had estimated there would be a 30 per cent reduction in southbound traffic through the Harbor Quays once the second Mount Victoria Tunnel, the upgrade to the Basin Reserve and the Terrace Double Tunnel would all be completed.

“Without improvements to this vital road, within ten years the region could face an increase in travel times of up to 50 per cent between Ngauranga and the airport.”

The plan also called for a grade jump – a method of reducing disruption caused by crossing tracks – around the Basin Reserve, which Brown said would result in significant travel time savings during peak hours , reducing travel times from the northern suburbs to the CBD, hospital, and airport to around 10 minutes.

The changes, to be made by the Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency, were aimed at easing the gridlock in Wellington and supporting economic growth, Brown said.

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