Christchurch City Councillors are pressing the Government to reverse its decision to withhold funding for  upgrades to Brougham Street, citing concerns over increased traffic from new housing developments.

In May, the Government announced it would not fund the State Highway 76 project due to “funding constraints,” shelving a plan initially costed at $40 million but which escalated to $90 million by 2021.

During’s Wednesday’s council meeting, Councillor Andre Moore submitted a motion urging the Government to prioritise funding for the upgrades, referencing the recent decision to fast-track 4,200 new homes in Rolleston, which would lead to significantly more traffic along Brougham Street.

“I appreciate the mayor has written to the minister in July on this, but the situation has obviously changed,” Moore said. “The infrastructure needed for the additional houses is actually being slow-tracked. I just feel like it would be irresponsible of us not to say anything.”

Mayor Phil Mauger said, “I talked [to] NZTA, and their plans are just about finished. And from what I’m told, they haven’t stopped planning, and they’ll be presenting to us next year. The word I’m hearing is the money may be coming a wee bit faster than what we thought, but there’s no date on it.”

Councillor Sara Templeton highlighted the project’s importance to the community. “It cuts through these communities, and the Brougham Street project has aspects that enable communities to reconnect again. It makes crossing it easier…however, it can also encourage more traffic into town.” She talked about the need for mass rapid transit (MRT), saying, “The thing that will make the most difference in the medium term for getting people in from the outer districts…is having a form of mass rapid transit, whether that’s light rail or trackless trams.” Templeton said, “It’s been incredibly disappointing that funding for that has disappeared in the last year.”

Councillor Mark Peters echoed Templeton’s concerns, criticising the Government’s focus on Auckland and Wellington.

“The MRT has been ignored at the expense of Auckland or Wellington…they’re forcing on us the looming decision around intensification, but not giving us the visibility on transport solutions to cope with that. I think it’s irresponsible…hopefully, we can get the attention of government through letters such as this to get Christchurch back on the radar.”