Conspiracy theory?
When the Auckland Council was created 10 years ago, I often wondered why Rodney Hyde was so keen to include the Wellsford area. Then there was the urgency of completing the northern corridor from Puhoi to Warkworth. And of late, the millions they are spending on the Dome Valley road to bring it up to standard. Now we find that Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) is keen to double toll the new motorway. The Dome Valley dump has always been on the drawing board. Auckland Council needed the Wellsford area for the site. They knew there would be 300-plus truck-loads of rubbish travelling through Warkworth each day and needed to extend the motorway from Puhoi to Warkworth. It is no surprise that the millions being spent upgrading the Dome Valley road finishes conveniently outside the proposed dump entrance. NZTA is keen to double toll the new motorway because it will be very lucrative for them, with 300-plus trucks travelling this road each day. Recently, the dump was given resource consent, despite 958 submissions against the proposal and only 10 in support. The Dome Valley dump was always going to get consent and infrastructure has been built to accommodate it.