Improved Flow Of Information Now Sought On Expressway

Kapiti Mayor Jenny Rowan has welcomed the announcement of the Expressway Alliance membership, saying Council now had someone to negotiate with.

"The announcement is welcome. The last few weeks have been very difficult with many questions being raised about where the Expressway may or may not go but with little or no details available.

"Now that the core group of the Alliance has been announced, I anticipate the information flow will improve with our residents getting a better feel for what is proposed. There is a lot of anxiety out there at present, which is understandable."

Ms Rowan welcomed the inclusion of Goodmans Contractors in the Alliance set up, saying it was good to see a local company directly involved in the NZTA project.

NZTA had also made clear that it saw a place on the Alliance for Council.

In preparation for this, Council has established 11 objectives, based on district-wide consultations it has undertaken.

Ms Rowan said Council expected to begin talks with the Alliance core group within the next two to three weeks on these objectives.

"It is extremely important that objectives are agreed to and signed off right at the beginning. We believe our objectives are fair and reasonable and will provide a foundation on which to move forward on this project.

"Clearly it is in everyone's interest for this new road to provide benefits, not just for those people driving north and south, but also our local residents."