The Automobile Association says the Transport Agency's decision not to install a back-up generator for Auckland's Northern Gateway toll road is bizarre.
The cuts in October last year, which affected the toll road's tunnels, came close to forcing the shutdown of the entire seven-kilometre stretch of road between Orewa and Puhoi.
The agency says if the power was out for a sustained period of time, a temporary generator would be installed, or the tunnels would be operated manually.
Regional highway manager Tommy Parker says battery packs supply two hours of emergency power to the tunnels if there is a power cut and the agency is confident of its emergency response within that time frame.
However, a spokesperson from the Automobile Association, Simon Lambourne says he cannot understand why the agency is skimping on a generator, when it has spent more than $360 million on the project.
