Caroline Williams08:24, Mar 21 2019
Transporting waste by rail to and from a proposed landfill site in north Auckland could help divert hundreds of trucks from a deadly road, residents say.
If Waste Management’s proposed Auckland Regional Landfill gets the go ahead, the Mahurangi East Residents and Ratepayers Association (MERRA) wants waste to be transported via the Northern Rail Line, instead of by road on State Highway 1, which is known for its high number of fatal car crashes in the area.
The deadly stretch of road through Dome Valley claimed 27 lives between 2000 and 2018, according to NZTA Crash Analysis System data.
The landfill is predicted to add 300 return trips by waste trucks and 150 by light vehicles to SH1 per day, with this number set to increase to 500 waste trucks and 250 light vehicles return trips by 2060. This would see an average of 54 vehicles coming and going from the landfill every hour of the day from 5am until 10pm.
