The Tararua and Ruahine ranges are of very "crumbly" rock and get a lot of rainfall on the windward side, not a good combination. The road will be very costly and survey and geotech will take some time. It should not be fast tracked as that is a recipe for disaster.
Apparently PN is a bit of a logistics hub. I heard years ago one of the big super market chains had their warehouse there.
PN IS a logistics hub, with many companies using it's strategic location to feed the surrounding lower/central North Island.
Which is totally stupid considering the roads trucks have to take to get to it. There's only one "good" direct road in and out of PN and that's the one to Sanson.
To get to Welly (or anywhere that's not Sanson), you have to go down what are basically backroads.
Pretty typical NZ govt road funding.
Mind you, SH2 is a joke between Masterton and Woodville... A whole 3 passing lanes, roads prone to flooding, stupid narrow bridges and dangerous corners.
Basically the lower north island (Turangi down) is a transport joke.
The Tararua and Ruahine ranges are of very "crumbly" rock and get a lot of rainfall on the windward side, not a good combination. The road will be very costly and survey and geotech will take some time. It should not be fast tracked as that is a recipe for disaster.
I thought the Ruahines were solid but Tararuas crumbly, but you may very well be right. In the end, the reason the Gorge is *there* is that the rock is soft and crumbly enough there that the river could cut down through it faster than the mountains were growing. And the Gorge *causes* bad weather and rain by funnelling winds into the gap.
So hands up anyone who thinks a similar problem would take the same time to resolve in, say, Switzerland? Or Japan? Or Germany?
A lot of the reasons for dismissal were rather woolly: a government should not face "difficulties in getting consent" when carrying out infrastructure projects in the national interest. Cost and effectiveness are IMV the only two grounds for dismissing alternatives in a situation like this.
The government can make the rules if they want. It is essentially a natural disaster situation with a key piece of infastructure, that is costing NZ millions/billions.
My point exactly. All this whining about getting consent is rubbish. If the government wants to do it, they give themselves consent via Parliament and then use compulsory purchase to bulldoze any local whiners.
You believe that the Government should not abide by the law? hmmm where that could lead makes me shudder.
No, I believe the government should make the law. For example, in the UK in 1977, it was decided to create Rutland Water, a large (approx 55km circumference) reservoir which necessitated flooding a village.
To facilitate a large infrastructure project being done for the benefit of the nation, Parliament passed the Rutland Water Act creating the appropriate statutory powers to do the work.
They did not allow minor issues or standard planning rules to prevent an important project.
The NZTA has decided on a brand new route situated between the Manawatu river and the Saddle road. It'll likely be six years before it opens in 2024 however. Happy travels.
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