The Waikato regional transport committee has signed off the 2015-2045 draft regional land transport plan and it will be available to the public on Friday for consultation and submissions.
Under its recommendations, the highest priority is the completion of the four-lane Waikato Expressway, with a target finish date of 2019.
Railways are also recognised in the plan as a mode of transport carrying an ever increasing share of inter-regional freight. The draft plan identifies and supports major rail projects such as track strengthening and the Kaimai tunnel floor remediation.
Once submissions are taken into account, the 30 year plan will be the basis upon which the Government will hopefully provide the region with about $4 billion in transport funding over 10 years.
Waikato regional Council committee chairman Hugh Vercoe says the Waikato accounts for 16% of the national state highway network and a large percentage of the national freight tonnage moving through it so the region also plays a major part in keeping the economy of New Zealand moving.
He says the draft plan largely follows a “steady as she goes”’ approach. Improving road safety also continues to be a major focus for the committee, says Vercoe.
“While our regional road toll continues to improve due to a highly successful collaborative effort across the region, it is still higher than it should be.
“We have set ourselves challenging road safety targets in our regional road safety strategy and the activities in this plan will assist in addressing these issues.”
Projected population growth around Hamilton and the northern part of the region will be stimulated by growth in Auckland. The plan signals the need to examine potential transport responses within this growth area, including the role of inter-regional passenger rail between north Waikato and Auckland.
The plan is open for public consultation from Friday 7 November through till 5pm on Monday 15 December. Hearings following the consultation process are due next February, while the committee is due to recommend a final plan for adoption to the regional council by April. The final plan is due to be operative in May next year.
