Horowhenua mayor Bernie Wanden has labelled the message of uncertainty as “totally unfair and cruel”. “With significant growth in the region, the catalyst for much of that growth has been the knowledge that the roading network between Wellington and Levin would become safer and more efficient,” he said. It was critical not just for Horowhenua, but for the lower North Island, and the country, he said. Wanden said uncertainty caused significant stress and anxiety for residents and businesses while the increasingly-busy current state highway continued to divide Levin’s centre. District councillor Sam Jennings has launched his own criticism of the apparent Government back-track, also using the words, “cruel and unfair”.
Traffic congestion on Oxford Street should ease after the completion of the highway.
The Ōtaki to north of Levin highway is designed to remove traffic congestion from the Horowhenua town, but what of the business thousands of motorists a day can bring? Shopkeepers value commerce, but they value community more, writes
Rachel Moore. There is confidence among Levin businesses that any trade lost from passers-by will be more than countered by the reclamation of a main street that is safer and a town identity that is more assured. Business owners on Oxford St, approached by
Stuff, are bracing for pain in 2029, when a 20-kilometre stretch of four-lane highway is set to begin bypassing Levin, but they view it as a short-term necessity for their town to thrive.