Multibillion-dollar splurge to get NZ moving
Motorists can expect “safer travel” and “less delays” after the government announced a $12 billion splurge on infrastructure that is being welcomed by the AA.
Roads are the big winner in the announcement from Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, with $5.3b being spent on a number of key roading projects.
“New Zealand is in desperate need of more modern highways in many places and it is great news that the government is responding to that,” says Barney Irvine, principal infrastructure adviser at AA.
“The AA has fought for many of these roads because of the benefits they will deliver in safer travel, less delays and more resilience to extreme events.”
The coalition government’s New Zealand Upgrade Programme, which was revealed on January 29, will see $6.8b spent on transport infrastructure in six main growth areas – Auckland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Wellington, Canterbury and Queenstown. Of this, $2.2b is for new roads in Auckland and $1.1b for rail. Hospitals and schools will also benefit from the package.
Roading projects
Significant road projects to be funded include:
• upgrading State Highway 1 from Whangarei to Port Marsden to four lanes;
• building Penlink between SH1 and Whangaparaoa in Auckland;
• upgrading Mill Road to four lanes;
• widening SH1 between Papakura and Drury
• build a four-lane Tauranga northern link and upgrade SH2 to Omokoroa;
• four-laning SH1 from Otaki to north of Levin; and
• improving SH58 in Wellington
The AA says it is particularly glad to see progress on the Tauranga northern link, and the four-laning plans for two sections of SH1.
“Those three highways have been some of the highest risk roads in the country for decades,” explains Irvine, pictured. “If you look at crashes on those two sections of SH1 as well as SH2 from west of Tauranga to Katikati, they had 35 fatal crashes and 62 serious crashes between them over five years.
“Other recent expressway projects like in Waikato and Kapiti have shown that once a new, modern highway is built the fatal crashes all but disappear and serious crashes drop significantly as well.”
The AA believes safety and de-congestion benefits will also come from projects such as Penlink and Mill Road in Auckland, and the Melling interchange and SH58 improvements in Wellington.
‘Missed opportunity’
The only disappointment for the AA in the infrastructure package is that the extension of the Waikato Expressway from Cambridge to Piarere is not included.
“This is a missed opportunity to make the most of the investment that’s already gone into the Waikato Expressway, and to support road safety and economic growth in Waikato, and the Upper North Island as a whole,” Irvine says.
He adds that the announcement brings much-needed balance to transport investment, after funding for building and maintaining roads has been under pressure over the last couple of years due to more transport spending going into other areas.
“Recently there has been an unfortunate tendency to frame transport investment as a clash between roads and other modes,” says Barney.
“Actually, we need to be investing in all of transport – roads and public transport and cycling and walking.
“Driving is still the main way that people and goods move around in New Zealand and it’s crucial that we keep investing in upgrading the many roads around the country that aren’t up to the standard they should be.”
The government’s Christchurch package aims to speed up public transport in the south-west of the city and provide a more reliable route for freight to Lyttleton Port. In Queenstown, funds will target public transport improvements into the town centre and easing congestion on SH6.
Construction industry certainty
Phil Twyford, Minister of Transport, says the upgrade programme reflects the government’s balanced transport policy with $6.8 billion being invested across road, rail, public transport and walking and cycling infrastructure.
"This programme brings forward and funds significant projects, allowing them to be built sooner,” he adds. “The significant package is designed to give the construction industry certainty and confidence about future work.
“Many of these projects have been talked about for a long time, but we are the first government to fund them.”
Twyford also says the scheme will allow significant projects to be built sooner, giving the construction industry certainty and confidence about future work. The motor industry will be hoping this leads to a boom in the commercial-vehicle sector.
Civil Contractors New Zealand chief executive Peter Silcock welcomed the announcement. “Planning for many of these projects is well advanced as they have been on the drawing board for a long time,” he says. “This selection will start to address the country’s infrastructure deficit, but it will be interesting to see the shape these projects take, and when they hit the ground.”
Accelerating rail plans
While the main focus is on roading, the government has also announced rail projects that aim to get trucks off the road and improve passenger services.
This includes $371 million to extend electrification of Auckland's rail network from Papakura to Pukekohe, and funding to build two new railway stations in Drury Central and Drury West, along with “park and ride” facilities. Wellington will receive a cash boost to its commuter rail network, with $211m for improvements to the connections between Wellington, Wairarapa and Palmerston North.
Walkers and cyclists will also benefit from the overall package, with $400m allocated to the Skypath and Seapath projects for cycling and walking across Auckland’s Waitemata Harbour.
National leader Simon Bridges accused the government of “two-and-a-half years of wasted opportunity”, claiming the projects in the announcment were already in progress under the previous government.
