Smith rejects $180 mln Dart tunnel proposal, cites environmental impact

Wed, 17 Jul 2013

July 17 (BusinessDesk) - Conservation Minister Dr Nick Smith has rejected a proposal to build a $180 million tunnel in Fiordland and Mt Aspiring National Parks by a company aiming to halve travel times for the 420,000 people that visit Milford Sound each year. The five-metre diameter, 11.3-kilometre long, one-lane bus tunnel was proposed by Milford Dart Limited to run between the Dart Valley, adjacent to the Routeburn Track, through to Hollyford Valley. “I am declining this tunnel proposal because the environmental impacts are significant...

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