Bleak news for Manakau

Bleak news for Manakau

Manakau residents knew something was afoot. On a rainy Sunday evening, they packed the Manakau Hall for a meeting and heard news as bleak to them as the weather outside. 

NZTA Waka Kotahi project director Glen Prince and others from the transport agency spelled out what changes were proposed for the Ō2NL expressway. They started their presentation from the north, where they outlined the changes that would narrow the expressway to two lanes only after a roundabout (not an interchange) at Tararua Road, but that’s not what the residents were there for.

When it finally got to discussion about Manakau, there were audible gasps as they were told Manakau Heights would not be connected to the village by an overbridge, which was in the original plans. Heights residents would have to make their way to what will be old SH1 via South Manakau Road. That road will go under the expressway to link with old SH1; an overpass will be built at North Manakau Road.

There were even more mutterings when residents were told that to get on to the expressway south, they would have to drive along the old highway and through Ōtaki, to join up with the expressway south of the Ōtaki River bridge.

As one resident told the Star, the people of Manakau will have years of expressway building still to come, but will get little benefit.

“We’re just going to have to put up with the works, and not be able to use it.”

A clearly angry Mayor Bernie Wanden was given an opportunity to speak towards the end of the meeting.

“Every other big project like this in the country has managed to get the money it needs to do it right,” he said. “Why not this one?

“We have one opportunity [to build the expressway] – do it once, do it properly.”

His sentiments were expressed later in the week, when the Horowhenua and Kāpiti councils issued a joint statement.

“It’s not the road we were promised,” the statement, attributed by Bernie and Kāpiti’s Deputy Mayor Lawrence Kirby. They said the design changes were driven by short-term budget pressures, rather than long-term needs.

“Make no mistake: this is not the road we were promised. The changes proposed by NZTA Waka Kotahi would give us an expressway significantly more dangerous and less efficient than the version granted resource consent by the Environment Court last year.

“We need a road that works for all Horowhenua and Kāpiti residents, both now and in the future.”

The councils said their communities had engaged in good faith throughout the project, including the Environment Court process.

“The court’s decision was one the community understood and could generally support. For NZTA to now propose significant changes that unwind key commitments made during that process will be very difficult for the community to accept.”

Residents and others were urged to write to the minister and NZTA (chris.bishop@parliament.govt.nz and  boardsecretariat@nzta.govt.nz).

“With enough public backing we may yet get the expressway we were promised.”