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Driving the economy
Highway investment a Budget highlight The resilience of our State Highway network is to see additional investment.
I by Dom Kalasih Interim Chief Executive Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand
WAS PLEASED TO SEE THE GOVERNMENT at least attempt to address roading resilience in this year’s Budget. With severe weather events becoming more frequent and roads being the vital links between our communities, it is absolutely critical we increase investment in roading to make sure it is as resilient as possible. This year’s Budget includes $279 million of funding specifically to improve the resilience of the state highway network, namely through slip prevention, slope stabilisation, flood mitigation and lessening the impact of sea level rise. This is on top of the $71 billion set aside for broader infrastructure upgrades over the next five years and the $475 million dedicated to rebuild road and rail links following the storms and cyclones that impacted the North Island. Some of the projects earmarked for the $279 million include: • Northland – Addressing high priority land instability and subsidence issues including State Highway 1 Longhill and State Highway 12 north of Waipoua Forest. • Auckland – Upgrades to pumping stations in Mt Wellington and Pukekohe to help prevent the motorways from flooding. • Bay of Plenty – Rockfall protection at Ruahihi Bluff on State Highway 29. • Waikato – Constructing a retaining wall to prevent the risk of a slip and improve drainage at State Highway 1 Bulli Point. • Taranaki – Addressing coastal flooding issues for State Highway 3 including Tongaporutu Estuary and the Monhakatino Bridge. • Wellington – Rockfall protection on State Highway 59. • Nelson, Tasman and Marlborough – Providing upgrades for
route security including State Highway 6 Whangamoa and Rai Saddle and Dashwood on State Highway 1. • Canterbury – Debris clearing in water channels on State Highway 79 and 1 to better manage water flows. • West Coast – Addressing landslip, drainage and river erosion issues including high priority coastal erosion and coastal flooding sites along State Highway 6 and improvements at Meybille Bay (SH6) and the Candys Bend on SH73. • Otago and Southland – Addressing flooding issues such as on State Highway 1 Kakanui Straight and the growing coastal flooding risk at Ocean View, north of Bluff, securing access for the township and the Port. While I congratulate the Government on recognising the importance of future proofing our state highways, recent history tempers my enthusiasm for these announcements somewhat. We know that promises don’t necessarily translate into completed projects. I am also well aware there is much more to do as part of the State Highway Resilience Plan and yet we don’t really know how Government plans to deliver on it. Where is the workforce coming from and does the l will exist across our political parties to ensure that planned projects and investments survive the election cycle and the whims of some of our more ideologically motivated politicians? Another Budget 2023 initiative I’m also extremely supportive of is the new fund to provide grants towards the purchase of low emissions heavy vehicles. According to the announcement, this could be trucks, heavy vans and non-public transport buses. It is hoped the $30 million fund over three years will see 500 low emission heavy vehicles hit the road in New Zealand. While this is obviously a drop in the bucket, it’s an acknowledgement from Government that the transport Truck & Driver | 39
