Residents affected by Auckland's Western Ring Route are pleased
a tunnel is Transit New Zealand's preferred option.
More details of the proposal have been unveiled, among them, a
surprise costing which shows it isn't the most expensive
option.
The largest double-shield tunnelling machine in the world, with a
diameter of 12 metres and a length of 250 metres, is the sort of
machine Transit wants to use to build its 3.2 kilometre tunnel
under Auckland.
"The tunnel seemed to have the least social and environmental impact and it wasn't the most expensive, so it seemed to be the right option to proceed with," says Clive Fuhr, principal project manager.
And the company is wasting no time delivering the news.
The tunnel option would save 340 of the 500 properties presently under threat of demolition.
Transit representatives have already started delivering letters and knocking on doors, telling residents they don't need to move.
One affected resident is Wendy Michell. On Thursday she said her family had been living in limbo for seven years. A day later, she says she's delighted her home is safe.
"I'm actually really happy about it because this is one of the most beautiful places in Mt Albert," she says.
Michell says as far as she is concerned the tunnel is the the only acceptable option for the area.
It will be two twin tunnels, dug at a rate of around 15 metres a day. The tunnel will run at a depth of between 20 and 40 metres, with the final cost estimated to be just under $2 billion.
"The development of the tunnel boring machine technology has made the construction of a tunnel like this say far more feasible," says Fuhr.
A public consultation process will run until April, followed by the consent process. And if Transit gets its wish, the tunnel will be completed by 2015.
