The astonishing truth about NZ’s most expensive road ever....

Date: 23/06/2017

Wtitten by Simon Wilson, The Spinoff, July 2017

You don’t need to take my word for it. This week the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) released the evidence of its own economist, John Williamson, to a board of inquiry looking into the East-West Link.

In that evidence, given on Tuesday June 20, Williamson said:

I acknowledge that I have not prepared a quantitative assessment of the economic costs of the [East-West Link] Project. Neither have I quantified the benefits. However… I do not consider that it would be practical (and may not even be possible) to undertake such a task nor do I think it is helpful.

Just to reiterate that astounding point: the NZT’s own economist says there is no new benefit:cost analysis and they don’t think there should be one. Williamson also said:

Based on all the information available, I am confident that the economic benefits of the Project will outweigh the economic costs (especially if the construction costs are not included).

Read the full article  HERE