The NZ Transport Agency has signalled its proposed delivery approach for the Government’s 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS).
The transport agency has released the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) in response to the Government Policy Statement (GPS) on land transport released by Transport Minister Simeon Brown on March 6
Over the next three years NZTA plans to begin construction on a number of the RoNS and establish a 10-year construction pipeline.
NZTA will also look to accelerate project development through fast-track legislation, as well as seek new sources of funding and financing.
In addition to the RoNS, the SHIP also includes other key commitments like the additional Waitemata Harbour Crossing, Northwest Rapid Transit Corridor, and increased investment in road maintenance and renewals.
“Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy, and I’m pleased to see NZTA moving at pace in putting forward their proposed approach to deliver on the 15 RoNS,” Brown says.
“To rebuild our economy and ensure people and freight can get to where they need to go quickly and safely, we need to move at pace to deliver the infrastructure our country needs.”
Road freight body National Road Carriers Association (NRC) says getting on with the design and build of our roading infrastructure with urgency is important.
“As well as setting out detail on when the Roads of National Significance will be built, the proposal also sets out the continued response to Cyclone Gabrielle and other extreme weather events,” NRC chief executive Justin Tighe-Umbers says.
“Importantly it points to strengthening key freight routes, and locking in maintenance funds so they are prioritised and ring-fenced for road sealing and rehabilitation – music to the ears of road freight operators.”
The SHIP points to “the important role of transport in New Zealand’s economic prosperity, to boost economic growth, productivity, resilience, reliability, and safety”.
Tighe-Umbers says it’s great to see the NZTA investment plan out hot on the heels of the minister’s policy statement.
“There is no time to lose, we have a lot of catching up to do on roading infrastructure.
“The proposal shows NZTA is focused on the fundamental disciplines: planning, taking a whole of system approach, preparing for resilience, and making evidence-based decisions. NRC has been calling for a 50-year plan for roading infrastructure, and this approach is an important step towards that.
“I’m especially pleased that this 10-year view will give the roading contractors a pipeline of projects that they can confidently tool up and get people on board for. This translates into more efficient build costs and savings for road users,” Tighe-Umbers says.
