The government has given the green light for a controversial roading development in Nelson to progress to the next stage.
The Transport Agency said investigations into the southern link would move to a business case after preliminary results showed congestion and accessibility problems on the city's current arterial routes.
The road, which would link major routes from Stoke in the south to Port Nelson and Atawhai in the north, has been on the drawing board for decades, with several attempts to revive it after an Environment Court ruling stopped progress in 2004.
