Whangaparāoa locals are welcoming a boost to the much-needed Penlink road plan, which would be funded by a Chinese company.
Pressure is building on the Government to give the go-ahead to a Chinese consortium, to fund the major road to Auckland's Whangaparāoa Peninsula.
The road, which would link the Whangaparāoa Peninsula with the Northern Motorway, isn't scheduled to be built until 2028. But with 27,000 new homes planned for the peninsula, locals want it sooner.
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"One lane in, one lane out - Penlink, bring it on," one local told Newshub.
Another said: "Sooner the better please!"
A huge 130,000 vehicles a day use the road, and an offer by the Chinese could slash that congestion in half.
Chinese company China Construction is offering another option - to fully fund the $400 million project, and collect a toll as payment.
It will be a four-lane toll road with two lanes in each direction, with provisions for pedestrians and cyclists included.
Infrastructure New Zealand chief executive Stephen Selwood says these types of contracts with international companies are commonplace all over the world.
"For far too long, we've been delaying and deferring for want of capital - and this provides a major opportunity to get on with the job," he says.
Auckland Chamber of Commerce chief executive Michael Barnett says "unless we do this, unless we start thinking differently and doing differently, Auckland is going to stay in catch-up mode for the next 30 years".
With 27,000 new houses planned for the Peninsula, a solution is needed more than ever. The offer will now be considered by the NZTA.
Newshub.