A new tunnel is proposed for the New Zealand city of Wellington – image courtesy of © Wollertz, Dreamstime.com
A new road tunnel link is being proposed for the city of Wellington in New Zealand. This would be the second tunnel for the Wellington suburb of Karori and has been proposed due to the increasing population in the city, which is tipped to expand 30-40% by 2030.
The new tunnel stretch would extend just 350m but would provide the additional capacity required to prevent delays to traffic with the existing link. The proposed alignment would place the new tunnel to the north of the existing link. Tolling has been suggested as the best solution to pay for the construction of the tunnel. An additional and separate tunnel link for pedestrians and cyclists would also be built under the proposed plans.
The existing 305m tunnel features just a single lane in either direction and cannot be widened or expanded. Its height limit prevents the passage of double decker buses or large trucks, while there are concerns over its safety. Delays already occur and with the population of the area expanding, there are concerns that the limited capacity of the link will prove a major hindrance.
