Nikki Kaye: What has enabled the Victoria Park tunnel to be brought forward?

Hon STEVEN JOYCE: The New Zealand Transport Agency informed me that it is able to bring this significant construction forward due to the almost $1 billion of extra funding for new State highway construction over the next 3 years, announced only 2 weeks ago. I am also advised that because of the forecast reduction in funding under the previous Government’s policy statement, the entire project might not have been affordable, and the project might not have been able to start.

Nikki Kaye: What benefits will the completion of the Victoria Park tunnel bring to Auckland?

Hon STEVEN JOYCE: The construction phase will provide an economic boost in the short term, with more work for the construction industry. The longer-term completion of this project will boost productivity through the provision of an additional three lanes, which will greatly ease the congestion experienced by the 100,000-plus vehicles that use this route every day. It will remove a huge bottleneck on the Auckland motorway network, just south of the harbour bridge, and will improve journey times for people travelling to and from the North Shore to all other parts of Auckland.