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West Auckland resident Gary Osborne was lost for words when he received a letter from Auckland Transport offering him 10 cents for access to his property over the next two years while it undertakes the widening of Te Atatu Rd.

Osborne is one of a number of residents who will be forced to sell part or all of their properties to Auckland Transport under the Public Works Act so that plans to widen Te Atatu and Edmonton roads can go ahead.

Te Atatu Rd is set to be widened between Wakeling Ave and the northwestern motorway while Edmonton Rd will be widened between School and Te Atatu roads.

The works coincide with the NZ Transport Agency's planned $100 million upgrade of the Te Atatu motorway interchange scheduled to start in March 2013.

Auckland Transport wants access to Osborne's Te Atatu Rd property over 24 months for its machinery, equipment and vehicles as part of the project but Osborne is refusing to sign and says the offer of 10 cents is an insult.

''They are asking me for a favour to sign a legal contract. If this is their approach before they've even started negotiating with the residents about buying their properties it's not looking very good.''

Osborne says if Auckland Transport had been more diplomatic he would have been willing to consider its request even if no money was offered.

Auckland Transport spokeswoman Sharon Hunter says it is common practice under contract law to offer a token payment for access to a property during major roading projects.

''This is done in order to make the agreement a binding contract between the two parties. A nominal sum is used, in this case 10 cents, because it is the smallest denomination of coin in New Zealand. The 10 cents can only be handed over once both parties have signed the contract.''

Auckland Transport is holding a public open day this Saturday at Flanshaw Road School from 10am-1pm for people affected by the proposed widening of Te Atatu and Edmonton roads.

Staff from the New Zealand Transport Agency will also be on hand to answer any questions from the public about the upgrade of the Te Atatu motorway interchange which has been timed to coincide with the road widening project.

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