thedrifter
04-07-09, 08:43 AM
Let's bring back the marines
By RICHARD LONG - The Dominion Post
OPINION The US marines had the answer to Wellington's northern outlet problems. They supposedly proposed blitzing a road down Transmission Gully in 1942 to link their camps on the Kapiti Coast with Wellington.
While there is no formal written proposal still existing, the theory was that this would facilitate the transport of men and supplies between Wellington's port and the 1st and 2nd Marine division camps at Paekakariki, McKays Crossing and Paraparaumu.
Sceptics would take the view that the benevolent wartime engineering offer was probably driven as much by testosterone as logistics. There were 40,000 marines stranded then on the bleak wilderness of the Kapiti Coast and other camps.
They wanted faster access to the Majestic Cabaret and the fleshpots of Wellington, where large numbers of women were free from fathers, brothers, boyfriends and husbands who were fighting in the Middle East.
The inevitable fusion was, as they say, a marriage made in heaven. Indeed the outgoing, jitterbugging, fun-loving Yanks, carrying silk stockings and chocolate, found their enthusiasm reciprocated. Romances flourished.
Then there was the heartbreak as 1000 marines were killed and more than 2000 injured in the battle to retake Tarawa in 1942, with more deaths the following year in Saipan and Tinian, and then on Okinawa in 1945.
Historic Old St Paul's in Wellington has had a close relationship with the marines since the war years and a small display in the cathedral, together with film clips of girlfriends and war brides, is an interesting snapshot of these times.
Old marines would be staggered to find that, 67 years after they proposed blasting through the direct route, Wellington is still paralysed over a northern outlet.
Former commissioner of works Bob Norman, a supporter of upgrading the coastal highway, and Porirua City Council chief executive Roger Blakeley, who backs the Transmission Gully alternative, fought each other to a draw in a debate on these pages in recent weeks.
Engineers, local bodies and residents are divided. Transport Minister Steven Joyce, rapidly becoming one of the stars of Prime Minister John Key's lineup, has wisely sought updated cost comparisons, but is going to need the wisdom of Solomon.
Either choice is going to upset vast numbers of voters.
Road commuters, infuriated by the snail's-pace progress at McKays Crossing and the earlier Mana Esplanade upgrade, will be hugely sceptical about Mr Norman's suggestion that the entire coastal highway upgrade could be completed in a couple of years, all the while keeping the road open for traffic.
Mr Norman's alternative, incremental improvements, would spin traffic congestion and frustration over many years.
Then there is Dr Blakeley's legal argument that the coastal route is "unconsentable" for environmental and other reasons.
The Gully would be a greenfields project, able to be completed quickly without traffic problems.
But that would still leave a coastal road needing constant maintenance and costly upgrades, such as the Pukerua Bay deviation. Locals would then be required to meet more of the cost, as it would no longer be the main state highway.
Mr Norman argues that Transmission Gully, close to the fault line, would be a geological lemon. Dr Blakeley, whose PhD is in earthquake engineering, counters with engineering evidence that it could take months to reopen the coastal road after a massive quake.
A dramatic drop-off in Kapiti road traffic was reported during last year's petrol price rises as commuters took to trains. Fed up with crammed carriages, they returned to their cars as petrol prices dropped. That leaves precise commuter intentions very unclear.
Truckers have long been wary of the Transmission Gully proposal because of the steep incline at the northern end - more than twice as long as the Ngauranga Gorge. Many would choose the flatter coastal route in non-peak hours. That would be exacerbated by any toll on the Transmission Gully route.
The Road Transport Forum's Tony Friedlander says it is essential to see proper alternative costings, but points out that, if Transmission Gully went ahead with a toll, a similar toll would need to be applied to the coastal road as well to avoid distorting traffic flows.
Failing any clear route through this tangle, Mr Joyce could try appealing to the marines. But he would have to reopen the Majestic Cabaret first.
Ellie
By RICHARD LONG - The Dominion Post
OPINION The US marines had the answer to Wellington's northern outlet problems. They supposedly proposed blitzing a road down Transmission Gully in 1942 to link their camps on the Kapiti Coast with Wellington.
While there is no formal written proposal still existing, the theory was that this would facilitate the transport of men and supplies between Wellington's port and the 1st and 2nd Marine division camps at Paekakariki, McKays Crossing and Paraparaumu.
Sceptics would take the view that the benevolent wartime engineering offer was probably driven as much by testosterone as logistics. There were 40,000 marines stranded then on the bleak wilderness of the Kapiti Coast and other camps.
They wanted faster access to the Majestic Cabaret and the fleshpots of Wellington, where large numbers of women were free from fathers, brothers, boyfriends and husbands who were fighting in the Middle East.
The inevitable fusion was, as they say, a marriage made in heaven. Indeed the outgoing, jitterbugging, fun-loving Yanks, carrying silk stockings and chocolate, found their enthusiasm reciprocated. Romances flourished.
Then there was the heartbreak as 1000 marines were killed and more than 2000 injured in the battle to retake Tarawa in 1942, with more deaths the following year in Saipan and Tinian, and then on Okinawa in 1945.
Historic Old St Paul's in Wellington has had a close relationship with the marines since the war years and a small display in the cathedral, together with film clips of girlfriends and war brides, is an interesting snapshot of these times.
Old marines would be staggered to find that, 67 years after they proposed blasting through the direct route, Wellington is still paralysed over a northern outlet.
Former commissioner of works Bob Norman, a supporter of upgrading the coastal highway, and Porirua City Council chief executive Roger Blakeley, who backs the Transmission Gully alternative, fought each other to a draw in a debate on these pages in recent weeks.
Engineers, local bodies and residents are divided. Transport Minister Steven Joyce, rapidly becoming one of the stars of Prime Minister John Key's lineup, has wisely sought updated cost comparisons, but is going to need the wisdom of Solomon.
Either choice is going to upset vast numbers of voters.
Road commuters, infuriated by the snail's-pace progress at McKays Crossing and the earlier Mana Esplanade upgrade, will be hugely sceptical about Mr Norman's suggestion that the entire coastal highway upgrade could be completed in a couple of years, all the while keeping the road open for traffic.
Mr Norman's alternative, incremental improvements, would spin traffic congestion and frustration over many years.
Then there is Dr Blakeley's legal argument that the coastal route is "unconsentable" for environmental and other reasons.
The Gully would be a greenfields project, able to be completed quickly without traffic problems.
But that would still leave a coastal road needing constant maintenance and costly upgrades, such as the Pukerua Bay deviation. Locals would then be required to meet more of the cost, as it would no longer be the main state highway.
Mr Norman argues that Transmission Gully, close to the fault line, would be a geological lemon. Dr Blakeley, whose PhD is in earthquake engineering, counters with engineering evidence that it could take months to reopen the coastal road after a massive quake.
A dramatic drop-off in Kapiti road traffic was reported during last year's petrol price rises as commuters took to trains. Fed up with crammed carriages, they returned to their cars as petrol prices dropped. That leaves precise commuter intentions very unclear.
Truckers have long been wary of the Transmission Gully proposal because of the steep incline at the northern end - more than twice as long as the Ngauranga Gorge. Many would choose the flatter coastal route in non-peak hours. That would be exacerbated by any toll on the Transmission Gully route.
The Road Transport Forum's Tony Friedlander says it is essential to see proper alternative costings, but points out that, if Transmission Gully went ahead with a toll, a similar toll would need to be applied to the coastal road as well to avoid distorting traffic flows.
Failing any clear route through this tangle, Mr Joyce could try appealing to the marines. But he would have to reopen the Majestic Cabaret first.
Ellie