The possibility of a "public-private" partnership for roading developments associated with a proposed tunnel linking Queenstown and Milford Sound will be raised with new Minister of Transport Gerry Brownlee.
The Milford Dart Tunnel company has applied for a concession to construct and operate a bus tunnel from the Routeburn Rd in Mt Aspiring National Park to the Hollyford Rd in Fiordland National Park.
Minister of Conservation Kate Wilkinson has publicly notified her intention to grant a concession and has received about 60 submissions to date.
The tunnel would shave hours off the popular tourist route from Queenstown to Milford Sound, but the Queenstown Lakes District Council has concerns it would increase heavy traffic and maintenance costs on the Queenstown-Glenorchy road approach.
At its meeting in Dunedin last week, the Otago Regional Council's regional transport committee, comprising representatives from Otago's five local councils, the New Zealand Transport Agency, and other public community appointees, agreed ORC chairman Stephen Woodhead would talk to Mr Brownlee about a public-private partnership as a means to address the expected increase in maintenance costs.
Members also questioned how a relationship with the private developers of any tunnel might proceed regarding emergency services access.
The transport committee intends to make a submission to Mrs Wilkinson, which will advance a "neutral stance" on the construction and operation of the tunnel.
However, the committee wants to support a submission from the QLDC which will seek a clearer outline about the Glenorchy route leading to the tunnel.
Mr Woodhead told the committee if the tunnel remained an exclusively private development, there would be no opportunity for public input.
Queenstown Lakes Mayor Vanessa van Uden said in an email to transport committee members the QLDC would make a submission "seeking acknowledgement of the potential roading costs required for upgrades and increased maintenance" expected to arise from more use of the Glenorchy road.
"We expect this will be an area of interest to NZTA who now fund the maintenance, operations, and capital improvements on this 'special purpose road' at the 100% financial assistance rate".
Approached for comment, Milford Dart Tunnel company director Tom Elworthy said public involvement with the proposed tunnel had always been considered a possibility by the private developers.
He expected discussions with publicly-funded authorities to happen "at some point in the future", once the proposal was further advanced through the resource consent process.
It was "good to hear" the transport committee was keeping an open mind and was interested in the tunnel proposal, he said.
Mr Elworthy acknowledged there were a number of "issues and safety" concerns regarding roading into and from Fiordland, and agreed there was a "possibility" of the developers contributing to improvements to the Glenorchy route.
"It is a tricky route and is narrow in some places, but on the whole it is not an insubstantial piece of road. We think the situation is manageable." An increase in bus traffic on the Glenorchy road might lessen the amount of other tourist vehicles on the route.
Mr Brownlee was given the transport portfolio in last week's cabinet reshuffle. A spokesman yesterday said the minister had not yet been briefed by transport officials so would not be commenting on transport matters until early in the new year.