Opening of Moa Point Road Tunnel
Transport
Good morning everyone, and thank you for being here, at this official opening of the Moa Point Road Tunnel.
I would firstly like to thank David Newman, the Chair of the Board of Wellington Airport, as well as CEO Simon Draper for inviting me here today.
And of course, special thanks to all the local school children that have taken time out from their studies to help me cut the ribbon and officially open the tunnel.
Right now you're probably thinking that any opportunity to get out of the classroom can't be a bad thing, but in the future, when you are perhaps driving through the tunnel yourselves, or flying overhead, I'm sure you will remember this day and how you participated in this historic event.
Well, what an impressive tunnel this is, both from an engineering point of view, and from a safety point of view.
I'm told that planes will not land directly above the tunnel, that it actually supports a safety section of the runaway called a Runway End Safety Area, and this area will only be used in emergencies.
This area will provide an extra margin of safety in the unlikely event that an aircraft undershoots the runway on landing or over-runs on take-off.
As a frequent flyer in and out of Wellington Airport, I must say I appreciate these efforts by Wellington Airport to be constantly seeking to upgrade the safety margins.
Wellington becoming an increasingly popular tourist destination, and Peter Jackson has put the capital on the international filmmaking map.
Then there are the politicians, the public servants and the business people who need fast, safe and reliable transport around the country.
All of which means Wellington Airport must strive to constantly stay ahead of these increasing demands, and what we're seeing today is a good example of how this is being achieved.
While I'm the local MP for Rongotai, if I can switch to my Transport Minister's hat for a moment, I can say these improvements reflect the emphasis the government is placing on creating world-class infrastructure.
Such infrastructure is absolutely fundamental to achieving the government’s aim of economic transformation. These improvements to our capital’s runway are very much in line with this philosophy.
The new safety area also meets international standards and new national standards, so congratulations must go to Wellington Airport for being ahead of the game. You have put in place these safety requirements, before the New Zealand rules for these safety areas have come into effect. Well done.
In addition to creating a safer airport, I'm told the tunnel has some very cool design features. When we walk down the tunnel shortly, take a look at the southern wall. You’ll find it is sculpted with the patterns used to guide aircraft on to the runway.
The tunnel also has great safety features such as good ventilation, video surveillance and emergency call points. These features will help make our safe airport even safer.
Construction of the southern safety area, which started in September last year, is expected to finish in July next year. Then the airport will turn its attention to northern end safety area that will be completed by the end of next year. The entire project will cost $31 million and will have taken almost a year and a half to complete.
This has been a huge project for Wellington Airport and there are quite a few organisations to thank.
Transit and Wellington City Council were very helpful during the planning stage and have been supportive of the project from the start.
The support of the airlines and Airways New Zealand enabled operations to proceed while construction carried on underneath the runway.
I’m sure we can all spare a thought for the main contractor, Brian Perry Civil and their sub-contractors who had to work in extreme conditions to keep to deadlines.
Last, but certainly not least, I would like to make a special mention of the local Moa Point residents, who have lived beside a construction site for about a year and put up with the noise and disturbance. I salute your patience.
I would also like to acknowledge the feedback from the Construction Liaison Group that was consulted along the way during the works.
So, without further ado, I declare this Moa Point tunnel open. Let's take a walk down this tunnel.
Thank-you.