Karla Lee: Hawke's Bay Chamber of Commerce CEO on the Hawke's Bay Expressway being upgraded

The Hawke's Bay Chamber of Commerce says widening the region's key road will benefit everyone.  

The Hawke's Bay Expressway is being upgraded from two lanes to four as part of the Roads of National Significance programme. 

The route carries 29,000 vehicles a day, including those transporting goods to and from the Napier port. 

Chamber Chief Executive Karla Lee told Mike Hosking it's well past its use-by-date.  

She says a lot of trucks use it to get to the port, which is incredibly important for their freight. 

Lee says it's also huge for the commuters who go between Napier and Hastings every day. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
First of the seventeen major roading projects is underway. Roads
of National Significance, or RONS as they were calling them
yesterday in the post cab press conference. RONS the hawks
By Expressways the first cab off the rank, with work
being brought forward at least twelve months twenty nine thousand
vehicles a day. It's going to go from two to
four lanes. The hawks Bay Chamber of Commerce CEO Calor
leeds with us Carlam.

Speaker 2 (00:18):
Morning, Good morning, Mike. How are you very well?

Speaker 1 (00:21):
Indeed? I love a road. Do you love a road?

Speaker 2 (00:24):
I do love a road.

Speaker 1 (00:26):
I've driven. There's one north of Auckland. Have you driven
the north of Auckland to pooh hooy? The new road there?
The Road of National Significance? Or no?

Speaker 2 (00:34):
I haven't.

Speaker 1 (00:34):
No, it's life changing, believing it is. It's literally you're
on that road and you're thinking, God, I wish we'd
done this twenty years ago. My life is so much
easier because of it. That's what you're in for in
the hawks Bay.

Speaker 2 (00:47):
Oh, I can't wait.

Speaker 1 (00:48):
It's exciting. What's the vibe in the area.

Speaker 2 (00:52):
Oh, we are all very excited about this road going.
And this has been a really long time coming and
it has been hard going through that expressway. I personally
drive it every single day, so it's going to make
a massive difference to many many people in the region.

Speaker 1 (01:09):
For people who have not been on it. When they
call it an expressway, is it express is it a
good road as it stands? Or passed? Its use by?

Speaker 2 (01:17):
No pass its use by? It is not an expressway
at all. That word should not be used for that road.
It is quite the opposite, especially at peak times, and
it's been like that for a long time, but considerably
worse than cyclone Gabriel.

Speaker 1 (01:32):
I was going to say, so unique set of circumstances
in your particular part of the world. Is the Gabriel
experience reminded you of the value of good efficient roading.

Speaker 2 (01:41):
Absolutely, we were reminded that we aren't as resilient as
we should be, and we need to improve that so
that we're never in that position ever.

Speaker 1 (01:50):
Again, what sort of use is the road getting for
people who have not used it? Is this will improve
mainly for trucks and transport that sort of thing, or
is it a commuter bit of roadway as well?

Speaker 2 (02:02):
It's both. It actually spans across many things, so a
lot of tracks come through there to go to our port,
which is incredibly important for our freight, but our commuters
that go between Napier and Hastings every single day is.

Speaker 1 (02:18):
Huge, fantastic. What's the vibe and the bay given I've
got you, Oh.

Speaker 2 (02:24):
The vibe in the Bay. We are really looking forward
to summer good, So it's here, it's not pretending to
be here. Obviously. We come from a primary industry region
that we're growing our crops is incredibly important. So the
summer's coming out and things are looking really good for
Hawks Bay and this news is exactly what we need

(02:45):
going into summer.

Speaker 1 (02:47):
Very good to hear. Karla go well with a Karla Lee,
who is the Hawks Bay Chamber of Commerce CEO. For
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