Prime minister Christopher Luxon has announced a new plan to spend billions on new highways across New Zealand.
The Coalition Government will allocate more than $20 billion to the construction of 15 new four‑lane highways around New Zealand through the National Roads of Significance (RoNS) project, which it deems crucial to reducing congestion. Public-private partnerships (PPPs) will be investigated to fund the new roads that are expected to support economic growth and regional development.
Transport Minister the Hon. Simeon Brown says the roads will also allow people and freight to move more quickly and safely.
‘Investments in these essential corridors will make it easier for New Zealanders to get where they need to go, create a more productive and resilient transport network, drive economic growth, and unlock land for thousands of new houses,’ he says.
Brown adds that the projects previously completed through RoNS (such as the Waikato Expressway, Auckland’s Waterview Tunnel and Wellington’s Transmission Gully) are some of the country’s most successful State Highway corridors, and have reduced congestion and improved safety.
‘Independent analysis has found that the construction of eight new bypasses between January 2009 and December 2016 resulted in up to a 37 per cent reduction in deaths and serious injuries across those roads.
‘Legislation is already underway to provide fast-track consenting approvals,’ says Brown. ‘We expect this to support major transport projects within the government policy statement, like the RoNS. This will provide immediate confidence to the construction sector to invest in capability and equipment needed to deliver projects.
‘The use of alternative revenue, funding and delivery models will also support delivery of the RoNS. This includes PPPs, increased use of tolling, “Build, Own, Operate, Transfer” equity finance schemes, and value capture, to generate additional revenue and deliver infrastructure in a more efficient manner.’
Some significant parts of the strategy include:
Whangārei to Auckland
Whangārei to Port Marsden: 22 kilometres of State Highway 1, with an estimated cost of $1.3 billion
Alternative to Brynderwyn: a hilly portion of State Highway 1 south of Whangārei
Warkworth to Wellsford: a $2.2-billion, 26-kilometre expressway connecting to the new Pūhoi to Warkworth motorway.
Auckland
East West Link: scuttled in 2017, plans for this project have been resurrected and will cost $1.9 billion
Mill Road: a 21.5-kilometre stretch of road from Manukau to Drury, estimated to cost $1.3 billion.
Tauranga to Auckland
Cambridge to Piarere: a 16-kilometre extension to the portion of free-flowing road, estimated to cost $721 million
Tauriko West State Highway 29: a Tauranga western corridor upgrade, with an estimated cost of $1.9 billion.
Other major components of the plan
Second Mount Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve upgrade: an additional tunnel providing two lanes towards the airport, and allocation of the existing two-lane tunnel, built in 1931, to city-bound traffic; in addition to upgrades to the Basin Reserve, including extension of the Arras Tunnel
Takitimu Northern Link Stage 2: seven kilometres of highway to replace a portion of State Highway 2 from Te Puna to Ōmokoroa, which will cost around $627 million
Hope Bypass: a new route for vehicles on State Highway 6 travelling through Richmond, with an estimated cost of $250 million
Hawke’s Bay Expressway: converting the full stretch of the road between Napier and Hastings to four lanes
The Belfast to Pegasus Motorway and Woodend Bypass: an extension of the Christchurch Northern Corridor, with an estimated cost of $270 million.