We were recently alerted to the following press release from the Wellington Chamber of Commerce by the hard-working Lindsay Shelton at wellington.scoop.co.nz:

The Wellington Regional Chamber of Commerce will be urging the government to consider the underground option for the Basin Reserve as well as the Buckle Street sections of State Highway One.

The issue was discussed at the Chamber’s Infrastructure Committee meeting yesterday.

“If Buckle Street is to be trenched under the new Memorial Park, as was reported in March, it makes sense to investigate the possibilities of continuing the tunnel past the Basin rather than building a flyover between two tunnels,” said Chamber CEO Charles Finny.

It's now becoming increasingly difficult for the NZ Transport Agency to find anyone in Wellington who still thinks that a flyover is a good idea. On this issue, Wellingtonians are united: we need excellent urban design for the Basin Reserve precinct, not a hastily cobbled-together roading solution built down to a budget. Charles Finny is right - the surface-level roads for the Inner City Bypass has proven to be a substandard solution, so let's not repeat the same mistake around the Basin.

While solving the congestion issues around the Basin Reserve is important, all Wellingtonians know that we will be living with the consequences of the NZ Transport Agency's decisions for many many decades to come. That's why it's critical that we get a high-quality urban design, and why there is a growing unanimity in the city that tunnels are a better idea than flyovers.