By Emma Jolliff
If the New Zealand Transport Authority gets its way, congestion problems around Wellington’s Basin Reserve will be alleviated with a $90 million one-way flyover.
But it's not the option the council wants, and one councillor is even describing it as a disaster.
Local councillor Iona Pannett says it as an absolute eyesore in an area that houses Memorial Park, Government House and the Basin Reserve.
“People around the world are pulling down flyovers,” she says.
“It just seems unbelievable in such a progressive city that we are still using techniques like this to move traffic.”
Thirty-five thousand cars use the Basin each day. The NZTA says a flyover, which will remove 18,000 cars from that system, is the best option.
“They deal with the problem best, they're buildable and they don't come with the problems a tunnel comes with, earthquake issues, the problems with construction and the additional cost,” says Rod James, NZTA Wellington state highways manager.
Currently cars exit the Mt Victoria tunnel and travel clockwise around the Basin to go west. Under the proposal, cars would bypass the Basin via the flyover.
Four years ago, 80 percent of submissions opposed a flyover.
Ms Pannett says she wants alternatives like light rail to be considered.
“NZTA are not the people to do urban design, they're not capable of it, and there's no way you can mitigate this project, it's a disaster.”
The Basin Reserve Trust has an agreement that a new stand will be built along the northern boundary if this option goes ahead, to protect the integrity of the Basin. But just who will pay for that isn't yet clear.
If resource consent goes ahead, construction will start in 2014.
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