The Local - Mt VictoriaMore than $23 million worth of Mt Victoria housing is slated for possible demolition, as part of the construction of a parallel Mt Victoria tunnel.
At least 12 properties along Paterson Street, Austin and Brougham Street are already owned by the New Zealand Transport Agency, with hints that more may be needed when the new Mt Victoria tunnel goes ahead.
According to information released to The Local under the Official Information Act, NZTA owns 12 houses in the area earmarked for the new tunnel, worth a total of $23 million.
The agency said in a statement: “There are a total of twelve houses, eight of which have been converted to multi-tenanted flats, giving a total of 23 separate tenancies. There are currently five vacancies, which gives a 78% occupancy.
The agency stressed that it could not yet say for sure which properties would be affected.
“Please note that we are still at a very early stage with the State Highway 1 Wellington Urban Improvements proposals and no decisions have yet been made on the final design or footprint of the project. It is too soon to say which specific properties may be affected.”
It also hinted that it might need to acquire more properties as part of the project.
“In terms of potential further property acquisitions, NZTA aims to treat all landowners with respect and empathy. It is always our preference to reach agreement with affected landowners whose property we require for our projects.
“There are different considerations to be taken into account in each situation, and we work through these with each property owner on a case-by-case basis.”
Last month, the Government finally announced which of three tunnel options would proceed as part of State Highway 1 improvements through Wellington, a project that also includes duplicate Terrace tunnels, and upgrades to the Basin Reserve.
The parallel option is considered the conventional approach and is the one that has long been on the cards. A pilot tunnel was dug in the 1970s to test out the route.
However, Let’s Get Wellington Moving also looked at a diagonal tunnel option, and the Government spent a reported at least $1.6 million exploring a ‘long’ tunnel from the Terrace through to Kilbirnie.
Although Government ministers such as Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop appeared to favour the ambitious ‘long tunnel’ option, the NZTA Board finally selected the parallel tunnel to go ahead.
The parallel option will have the greatest impact on the suburb of Mt Victoria due to the requirement to remove houses.
The project will now move through an investment case which will be brought back to the NZTA Board in mid-2025.
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