Multibillion-dollar plan to fix Wellington's traffic congestion to be announced on Thursday

Wednesday, 15 May 2019

A new road to separate local and state highway traffic at the Basin Reserve is at least 10 years away.

A multibillion-dollar plan to fix Wellington's traffic congestion problems will be announced on Thursday.

The proposal, which will be subject to public consultation, is expected to include a solution for the choke point at the Basin Reserve roundabout, a preferred route for a mass public transport system, and a possible second Mt Victoria tunnel and widened Ruahine St.

The 20-year programme, expected to cost several billion dollars, will also address plans for a duplicate or reconfigured Terrace tunnel, and for the Inner-City Bypass on State Highway 1, which could be taken underground.

A multibillion-dollar plan to fix Wellington's traffic congestion will be announced on Thursday.

Other key projects will include more priority bus lanes and an improved central city cycling network with more cycle lanes.

**READ MORE:

Local and state highway traffic at the Basin Reserve roundabout could be separated by a tunnel.

* Save the Basin comes out swinging

* Move to fast-track light rail

The plans were born out of the failed Basin flyover proposal, which was rejected by a board of inquiry in 2014.

* Wellington's $2.3b transport plea

* Rush hour getting longer**

A second Mt Victoria tunnel could be constructed adjacent to the existing one. A pilot tunnel for the project was built back in the 1970s.

A preferred route is expected to be announced for the mass public transport system between Wellington Railway Station and Wellington Airport, possibly with connections to Kilbirnie and Wellington Regional Hospital in Newtown.

It could be for light rail, a rapid bus system, or trackless trams. The route could be taken along the waterfront quays, which would potentially remove some traffic lanes.

A mass transit route could run from Wellington Railway Station along the waterfront quays.

If an underground bypass route was built, it could be used for eastbound SH1 traffic currently using Vivian St, with Vivian St becoming a two-way road.

The proposal has been developed by the Let's Get Wellington Moving group, set up after plans for a Basin Reserve flyover fell over in 2014.

The Terrace tunnel could be reconfigured so highway traffic can travel in different directions at different times of the day.

It is the joint work of the New Zealand Transport Agency, Wellington City Council and Greater Wellington Regional Council.

Buses could travel on priority bus lanes along further sections of Wellington's Golden Mile.

The team's brief was to solve traffic congestion problems between Wellington Airport and the Ngauranga Gorge.

Following the failed flyover proposal, the group has come up with a more rounded plan which it hopes will please not just motorists, but also public transport users, cyclists, and pedestrians.

It's understood a tunnel would be the preferred option - rather than a bridge or flyover - to separate local and state highway traffic at the Basin.

The proposal has been signed off by Cabinet but will need to be approved by local councils before consenting or construction can begin.

However, Finance Minister Grant Robertson said on Tuesday he welcomed the integrated approach, and the Government was committed to overseeing the beginning of the plan.

'It takes some political will and commitment to do that, and I can certainly say on behalf of central Government we want to do that.'

It is estimated there will be as many as 31,000 extra jobs in the Wellington CBD over the next 30 years, with between 50,000 and 80,000 more people living in the area.

By the same time, the Wellington region's population is expected to grow by between 100,000 and 150,000 people, with up to 50,000 more jobs.

Travel times by both car and public transport are forecast to be 25 per cent longer on some key routes by 2026 if no investment is made in the region's transport network.