Mayor welcomes decision to progress Ōtaki to North of Levin Expressway

Kāpiti Coast District Mayor K Gurunathan today welcomed the New Zealand Transport Agency's decision to proceed with the construction of the Ōtaki to north of Levin transport corridor.

"This is absolutely the right decision for the region,” said the Mayor. “Having a second north-south road connection between Ōtaki and Levin that connects with the Kāpiti expressways will not only reduce travel times but it will improve our district’s – and the region’s – resilience. This is critically important given the heavy reliance on State Highway 1 in emergency situations.

“It’s also very pleasing to hear that the Transport Agency is including passenger transport in the package of work. We strongly urge the Transport Agency to give the electrification of the rail network from Waikanae to Ōtaki and beyond some serious prioritisation.”

“The Council has been advocating for this for some time and we welcome further discussion,” the Mayor said.

“Extending the passenger rail network beyond Waikanae will also make it easier for people travelling from Ōtaki to commute to and from Wellington using public transport, reducing the number of vehicles on our roads.”

“It will also improve access to and from our town centres, which in turn will bring economic benefits to Kāpiti.”