The National Party has announced its plans to start work on a second Mount Victoria tunnel during its first term, should the party win the election in October.
The proposal was outlined as part of National’s $24 billion transport package, which would expand the country’s roading network.
Now, the party has announced the tunnel has been designated as a “major infrastructure priority”.
Chris Bishop, National’s infrastructure spokesperson, said the tunnel is “long overdue an upgrade”.
“Wellingtonians are sick of the seemingly interminable arguing over the Basin Reserve and a second Mt Victoria tunnel. The current tunnel was built in 1931 and services 37,000 vehicles per day,” he said.
“It is long overdue an upgrade, and the next National government will deliver where Labour has failed.”
He said a second tunnel would be “critical” for the city’s connectivity, economic growth, congestion and public transport.
“Extra capacity means more room for private cars and will allow for more bus capacity to the eastern suburbs. It will also improve life for walkers and cyclists.”
Bishop was highly critical of the Government’s Let’s Get Wellington Moving campaign, calling it an “expensive and ruinous debacle”.
“The oxymoronically titled Let’s Get Wellington Moving programme has become a total joke in Wellington, and National will put it out of its misery.
“All it has built so far is a new set of traffic lights on State Highway One. Meanwhile, traffic congestion has worsened while expensive consultants make millions.”
In addition to the new tunnel, the party also plans to build the Petone to Grenada Link Road and Cross Valley Link in Lower Hutt and upgrade the Lower North Island Train Network.
Bishop hopes this will improve “the resilience of the network and future-proofing the region’s connectivity with the Wairarapa and Manawatū”.
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