Councillor Steve Morris' vote against bringing forward four laning Te Okuroa Drive is being saluted as a courageous move when it could have made a safe vote grab in the election year.

John Robson congratulated the Mount/Papamoa ward councillor on his vote against a request by local interests wanting to accelerate the four laning of Te Okuroa Drive.

The four laning decision of Te Okuroa Drive is being put on hold.

Zariba Properties Ltd want to bring the $1.4 million four laning forward. The council denied the request because it's expecting to hear in the next couple of months if it should instead focus on building the $25 million Papamoa Eastern Interchange instead.

Bringing forward the interchange is expected to substantially boost development at Wairakei, which will be accessed by the PEI, located on the bend in the TEL between Parton Road and the river.

Construction of Te Okuroa Drive was itself brought forward in the 2015-25 Long Term Plan in response to the rapid rate of growth in the Eastern Corridor and community concerns over rising traffic flows and safety and amenity issues on Papamoa Beach Road.

The plan was to complete a two lane version and then add extra lanes as traffic demanded.

But if the council instead focusses on building the interchange it may not have to four lane a number of local roads, including Te Okuroa Drive, Domain Road and Girven Road.

Another issue is whether carrying on with four laning will affect the amount of the NZ Transport Agency subsidy for the major interchange project.

The councillors seem to think NZTA's subsidy for the interchange is likely to be greater if the council doesn't meanwhile go spending money of road widening, but the issue is yet to be discussed.

Steve says he reluctantly had to make the PEI the priority over the four laning. The modelling analysis results are expected to be available in July 2016.