Motorway Tunnel Cost Goes Up In Smoke
October 30th, 2008
Pollution treatment equipment for vehicle fumes pumped from motorway tunnels through Waterview in Aucakland could be added to the project pushing up the cost of the tunnels by up to another $140m. The addition of the costly treatment systems seems inevitable as concerns continue to grow from neighbours over the prospect of the chimneys discharging untreated fumes onto a nearby school and homes.
Computer Modelling Not Trusted. NZ Transport Agency modelling predicting “negligible” impact on local air quality after the fumes are dispersed from a height of 25m is not cutting ice with local people. Waterview Primary School Principal, Brett Skeen, says parents remain sceptical about the level of certainty offered by computer modelling, especially given Auckland’s changeable weather patterns. “Ultimately we want it treated – that’s our bottom line.”
Carmakers Should Carry The Can. NZ Transport Agency Principal Project Manager, Clive Fuhr, estimates treatment stations at each end of the Waterview link to the Northwestern Motorway would add between $100m and $140m to the cost of the project, Fuhr suggest there may be more cost-effective ways to reduce pollution, such as through vehicle engine efficiency or better fuel standards. This is hardly a credible alternative and is essentially saying NZTA would prefer to abdicate responsibility for cutting emissions through the tunnel to car makers.
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