Around 1000 kilometres of Auckland’s roading network is due for repairs with the backlog expected to take up to a decade to clear.
That’s according to Auckland Transport Alignment Project documents released to the National Party, pointing to more potholes as roads and motorways lose their waterproofing.
National Party transport spokesperson Simeon Brown says it shows an “ugly picture of the state of the roads in the Auckland region”.
“The report is clear evidence that Labour’s anti-car ideology means New Zealand’s roads are in the worst state they have ever been, even though the public and businesses depend on the road network to move people and goods every day,” Brown says.
“While Labour has been fixated on trying to build a $30 billion light rail tram in Auckland, our roads are crumbling.
“The report should be a wakeup call to the Labour Government that trying to squeeze the National Land Transport Fund to pay for pet projects like a cycle bridge across the Auckland Harbour, or light rail down Dominion Road is the wrong approach to transport planning,’ Brown says.
However, a spokesperson from acting transport minister Kieran McAnulty’s office told the NZ Herald the Government was focused on developing and maintaining “a high-quality transport system”.
“That’s why in 2022, Waka Kotahi repaired 54,196 potholes.
“The previous government froze road maintenance spending, which is why we’ve boosted it by nearly 50 per cent to help bring our roads back up to scratch.
“When we came into Government, Waka Kotahi advised that more investment in the maintenance of the state highway network was crucial as, despite an almost 10 per cent increase in the size of the network and a 12 per cent increase in costs, funding was flatlined from 2009 to 2017.”
In Auckland, 4637 potholes were recorded compared to more than 42,500 in the Waikato.
