The Local - Mt VictoriaJane O’Loughlin investigates why the long tunnel idea got scrapped.
When the National Government took office and started looking at the long-awaited project of a Mt Victoria second tunnel, they quickly got distracted by a much more ambitious alternative.
A long tunnel going all the way from the Terrace, under Te Aro and Matairangi/Mt Victoria and through to Hataitai would reduce travel times to the airport by a whopping 19 minutes in peak hour, and remove the state highway from the centre of the city.
Ministers spoke about the benefits of it in glowing terms, but when Transport Minister Simeon Brown finally announced the outcome in November after months of delay, it was the simple parallel Mt Victoria tunnel option that would go ahead, combined with a duplicate Terrace Tunnel.
Some of the questions around why this occurred are answered in papers subsequently released by NZTA, or obtained by The Local under the Official Information Act.
Once the feasibility study was completed at a cost of around $1.75 million, OIA papers reveal the Transport Minister Simeon Brown met with colleagues Chris Bishop (Infrastructure) and Nicola Willis (Finance) before the Board made its final decision to reject the long tunnel option.
NZTA reluctantly acknowledged the long tunnel was ‘unaffordable’: “The financial burden associated with the Long Tunnel, which is projected to cost $5.2bn - $7.5bn, could divert resources away from other critical infrastructure projects.”
The option of a diagonal Mt Victoria tunnel was also considered but eventually discounted due “severe short-term and long-term impacts on local schools,” presumably Wellington East Girls and Wellington College.
Cost estimates for the approved project were redacted from papers provided but officials said the parallel Mt Victoria Tunnel option provided a better benefit cost ratio.
Now an investment case will be completed and brought back to the NZTA Board in mid 2025.
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