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An $800 million budget blow-out for the Waterview connection has the government looking at other options for one of Auckland's big motorway projects.
It was proposed that two tunnels would break up sections of the five kilometre stretch linking State Highway 20 near the airport with State Highway 16 at Waterview.
The twin tunnels were originally going to cost $1.89 billion to construct but due to a rise in construction costs, that has ballooned out to almost $2.8 billion.
"It's a built up area, it's difficult. There are lots of environmental concerns but our view is we really have to go have another look because the numbers involved are just so big," says Transport Minister Steven Joyce.
The minister has asked officials to investigate the alternatives.
"My view is that we need to look closely at the Waterview corridor, options for doing some of it in the open, some of it in tunnels," he says.
But for some the almost $1 billion increase is simply too much for two two-lane tunnels on 4.5 kilometres of road.
Federated Farmers say the tunnel proposal was always a poor use of money. Chief executive Connor English claims if that sort of revenue was put into water storage the country would get a significantly higher return for its investment.
Labour is also unconvinced.
"The key thing is the cost isn't going to go down. So the longer they wait, the longer they dither, the more expensive this crucial road becomes ," says Labour's transport spokesman Darren Hughes.
But Auckland's Mayor John Banks claims the city will save $800 million annually when the road is finished.
"So it's very important to getting New Zealand back to the top half of the OECD and absolutely critical for Auckland to become an internationally competitive city," says Banks.
Simon Lambourne from the Automobile Association agrees.
"Regardless of how we build this road it is going to be a lot of money but we still have to look at value for money," says Lambourne.
A report is expected on Joyce's desk by April.
