The National Party is proposing to deliver 13 new roads of national significance plus more low emission transport options as part of a $24 billion election campaign promise.
The Transport for the Future plan will be funded by a combination of reallocated funds from within the National Land Transport Programme, new government investment and private funding.
It follows hot on the heels of National’s promise to allocate $500 million towards pothole repairs if elected in October.
Funding for the transport plan would differ between projects and will be arranged by a new National Infrastructure Agency.
For example, the four-lane Whangārei to Port Marsden Highway will be built using money that is currently earmarked for safety upgrades on the existing road, and additional allocation from the National Land Transport Fund (NLTF) and new Crown funding. The Cambridge to Piarere Expressway will be paid for through the NLTF and new funding.
A variety of private funding tools would include tolls, equity finance, and ‘value capture’ meaning those who benefit from land being unlocked for new greenfield development will contribute to the cost of opening it up.
National’s transport spokesperson Simeon Brown says the plan will “cut congestion, provide more low emission transport options and create a more productive and resilient transport network that drives economic growth to boost incomes and unlock land for thousands of houses”.
“National’s vision is to provide New Zealanders with safer, faster and more reliable transport options so they can get to work, get their kids to school and freight can move around the country more easily,” Brown says.
The 13 new Roads of National Significance will include:
• Northland – Whangārei to Port Mardsen, Warkworth to Wellsford
• Auckland – Mill Road Stage 1, East-West Link, North West Alternative State Highway
• Bay of Plenty – SH29 Tauriko West, Tākitimu Northern Link Stage 2
• Waikato – Cambridge to Piarere, Southern Links
• Greater Wellington – Petone to Grenada Link Road and Cross Valley Link, Second Mt Victoria Tunnel
• Nelson – Hope Bypass
• Canterbury – Belfast to Pegasus motorway including the Woodend Bypass.
Meanwhile, the party is also proposing more low emission transport options through public transport including a rapid transit network in Auckland with transport corridors in the North West, from the Airport to Botany, and the full Eastern Busway.
It is also promising to rebuild regions affected by this year’s weather events – including the Hawke’s Bay Expressway, a Brynderwyn Hills bypass in Northland, and upgrading the Napier to Taūpo and Napier to Gisborne roads.
It will also upgrade transport infrastructure in Ashburton, Queenstown, Otago, and Southland, Brown says.
“National will rewrite the Government Policy Statement on Land Transport within our first six months to transition the National Land Transport Programme from a three-year to a 10-year investment horizon, providing more certainty around long-term commitments and aligning with local councils planning requirements.
“National will scrap costly projects that are going nowhere like Auckland Light Rail and Let’s Get Wellington Moving and build a transport network that will benefit more New Zealanders,” Brown says.
National Party leader Christopher Luxon says the transport plan aims to boost incomes and lift productivity.
“National’s vision is for New Zealand to become one of the world’s leading small, advanced economies and our transport plan will help drive prosperity and lift the standard of living for all New Zealanders.
“With National’s Transport for the Future plan in place, New Zealanders will be able to get where they want to go faster and spend less time in their cars and more time doing what they love. Freight will also move more efficiently around the country, improving productivity,” Luxon says.
