Penlink

Penlink is the nickname for a roading project to provide a quicker path between the Whangaparaoa Peninsula and central Auckland in New Zealand. The project is being undertaken by Rodney District Council, Auckland Regional Council, and Transit New Zealand. Penlink will connect Stanmore Bay with State Highway 1 at Redvale, effectively extending the urban area referred to as East Coast Bays, which is predicted to run from Whangaparaoa into Mairangi Bay.

Although Whangaparaoa is part of Metropolitan Auckland, ("see http://www.arc.govt.nz") no roads "directly" connect the two, commuters have to leave the Metropolitan limits to travel via Silverdale, further up the Northern Motorway.Travelling time into the city will easily be cut down, as a new interchange will be built just north of Albany Heights.

This project is under the wing of the Northern Gateway Alliance, responsible for ALPURT and the Northern Motorway. This has displayed a closer partnership working towards a closer North Shore, involving Rodney District Council, Auckland Regional Council, and Transit New Zealand. This conbination has been commended by the New Zealand Government.

In October 2008, the Auckland Regional Council announced that the road would be toll-free. Most of it will be payed for by the Auckland Regoinal fuel tax, to be introduced in 2009. Penlink will get about 10% of the tax's income, or 1 cent a litre of fuel. The rest of the project will be funded by local contractors and investors.

External links

* [http://www.penlink.co.nz Penlink.co.nz]
* [http://www.rodney.govt.nz/services/Roading.htm Rodney District Council Roading]

References