FINANCE FOR AUCKLAND’S £17M MOTORWAYS PLAN

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28620, 24 June 1958, Page 3

FINANCE FOR AUCKLAND’S £17M MOTORWAYS PLAN

‘The Press’ Special Service

AUCKLAND, June 23. A start on the construction of the major routes provided for in the £l7 million Auckland Motorways 'Plan —the biggest single public work in the city’s history —was brought a stage closer last night.

The Metropolitan Council accepted proposals from the Minister of Works and chairman of the National Roads Board, Mr Watt, concerning the financing of the project and agreed to the Minister’s suggested programme for the first stage of the work. The division of responsibility between the Roads Board and the Auckland metropolitan authorities will result in the local bodies having to find £4,040,000 for their share of the work, considerably less than expected. At one stage it was estimated that the local body share could be £7 million.

On the recommendation of its motorways plan sub-committee, the council resolved to ask. the Auckland City Council to:

Carry out the construction of the local authorities’ share of the work when financial arrangements are completed, and Begin surveys and designing meantime so ( that valuable time will not be lost. The council will accept the Minister’s invitation to confer with him, particularly concerning

financing the local bodies’ share of the work. Another matter to be settled is the preservation of routes for which the local bodies are responsible.

The council appointed its motorways plan sub-committee to confer with the Ministry of Works over finance and with the city council over surveys, design, and construction.

Strongly reaffirming the necessity to complete the projectestimated to take 10 years—as soon as possible, the council stressed that under no circumstances would capital charges, including interest and sinking funds, be met from rates or other revenue at present available to local authorities.