Lower Hutt locals' relieved as new motorway deprioritised

Lower Hutt homeowners in the path of a proposed motorway are breathing a tentative sigh of relief, with the project now at the bottom of the government's list of roading priorities.

The New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) published its Major Transport Projects Pipeline yesterday, laying out the phases it plans to implement the Roads of National Significance (RONS) and public transport projects.

Transport Minister Chris Bishop said the phased approach was necessary as the government "can't build every road all at the same time".

He said the 17 RONS had been prioritised by the NZTA based on near-term deliverability and benefit-cost ratios, as well as ensuring there is regional spread.

As such, the Petone to Grenada Link Road (P2G), along with its related Cross-Valley Link, have been relegated to the slow lane, with no set date for implementation.

The project, which is currently slated to cost more than $2 billion, is designed to better connect Lower Hutt to State Highways 1 and 2, ease congestion and increase the road network's resilience to accidents and natural disasters.

Bishop said the government is "committed" to building all 17 of the RONS.

But locals said the unclear dates and funding are casting doubt on P2G - with some now relieved to think it might not happen at all.

Homeowner Kieran's house was set to be in the path of the new motorway.

"There is a big feeling of relief, I guess, one just for this road not being right inside my house, which is nice," he joked.

He said it is good to see the project isn't high on the priority list, as he wants to see his taxpayer money used elsewhere.

Kieran said he did not expect the project to happen anytime soon - if at all.

Petone resident Barbara Scott said the community is probably feeling a "little bit easier that our little village is not going to be overcrowded with even more cars".

She said locals had engaged with NZTA a lot through its community information sessions, but "we actually came away with more questions than answers".

She said the project needed more thinking through before it could be feasible.

But Petone local Mike Fisher said he would be disappointed if it was the end of the P2G project.

"I think that these projects do need to go ahead and preferably sooner rather than later," he said.

"And I understand it's a question of priorities, but if you look back to our history, we've borrowed for major projects and got them done for the better of the country."

Fisher said he felt as though Wellington projects, including P2G and planned tunnels and highway extensions, had been "shunted down the list".

"We've been waiting so long and it's never going to be cheaper."

Fisher understood there are financial restraints but said he did not want important projects forgotten - describing them as the "missing pieces" in our roading network.