Residents of Waterview in Auckland have learned details of the motorway route through their suburb and in some cases, their homes.
About 60 percent of the road's length will be underground, but that won't save an extra 200 homes, on top of 160 already owned by the NZ Transport Authority.
For more than 10 years the residents of Mt Albert and Waterview have been in limbo, waiting for officials to make up their minds about the motorway. They have had 40 proposals so far, but officials say this is the final one.
Worst-affected residents were told this morning by transport officials their homes could be bulldozed.
An extra 200 homes will be destroyed to make way for the new motorway. Residents, who had been expecting a tunnel to be built beneath them, say they are shocked.
"I've lived here for 30 years so my kids have grown up here," says Olga Krsinic. "They've gone to the local schools, so we've hung in here hoping that Transit would make a good decision, and they did, but now we've had this complete change about, so it's a bit of a shock really."
The alternative proposal outlined today is for a mixture of surface road and deep tunnel, followed by a long covered trench beneath Great North Road.
"We don't think this is an inferior option at all," says Brian Roche, NZTA. "We think this option will deliver the benefits we've all been looking for, and begin to get the certainty in the community they all need."
Labour had planned to build a 4km tunnel under Waterview and parts of Mt Albert, but National said it was too expensive. This will cost around half the amount, and take four years to build.
Officials already own about 160 of the properties needed to make way for the motorway. Others will be offered market value for the homes, and relocated for free.
But residents say that is not enough.
"This is my fathers house," says Peter Dragicevic. "He's lived in this house for 40 years and always thought he would die from this house, as my mother did."
Waterview Primary will back on to the new motorway, and principal Brett Skeen is worried about its impact on the school roll.
"I would hate to think that the future of Waterview Primary is decided on a motorway, not on learning and quality of education," says Mr Skeen.
Community leaders say they will fight the proposal.
"I can see literally thousands of people at protest rallies blocking Great North Road," says Duncan MacDonald, Avondale Community Board. "The people of Avondale, Waterview and Mt Albert are just not going to let this happen. This has never been a designated motorway area and it's not going to be."
While NZTA says this is its final plan, there still are opportunities for residents to have a say in submissions and during public meetings over the next three months. But officials are hoping to fast track resource consent for this motorway so they can start building in two years and have it completed by 2015.
3 News