22 Jun 2012

Transmission Gully approved

12:46 pm on 22 June 2012

The Environmental Protection Authority has confirmed an Independent Board of Inquiry is giving consent for the building of Transmission Gully highway, north of Wellington.

The route would bypass the coastal area north of the capital, where traffic botttlenecks are frequent.

The Transport Agency says the decision means that while the road can now proceed to construction, it will still have to go through the funding process.

The project has been criticised by many environmentalists for favouring motorways over public transport and adding to greenhouse gas emissions, but business and political groups in Wellington applaud the decision.