Roads of national significance gather momentum

A $10 billion programme to upgrade seven roads of national significance is gathering steam, with the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) unveiling detailed route plans for Christchurch and Wellington in recent months.

Last year, Transport Minister Steven Joyce announced the roads of national significance programme as part of a 10-year plan to improve the state highway network to reduce congestion, improve safety and support economic growth in New Zealand.

The seven roads are: Puhoi to Wellsford north of Auckland; Auckland’s Western Ring Route and Victoria Park Tunnel; the Waikato Expressway; Tauranga’s Eastern Link; the Wellington Northern Corridor; and the Christchurch motorways.

NZTA chief executive Geoff Dangerfield says that since the minister’s announcement, the agency has established project teams to plan and deliver each of the seven routes, has started construction on the Victoria Park Tunnel, progressed design work on the Waterview Connection component of the Western Ring Route, announced plans to apply to advance the project through the new national consenting process of the Resource Management Act, turned the first sod on the Christchurch Southern Motorway, and consulted the public on the possibility of advancing the Tauranga Eastern Link through tolling. “

Completing the seven roads of national significance will allow people and freight to move more safely and efficiently throughout New Zealand,” Mr Dangerfield says. “It’s a key part of the NZTA’s drive to make transport better right across the country. Investing in New Zealand’s roading infrastructure through these key routes will also help the economy to grow, rather than simply responding to growth.”

North Island

Announcements were made earlier in 2009 on progressing the Auckland, Waikato and Tauranga projects, and in the past two months the NZTA has unveiled the proposed Wellington Northern Corridor and the Christchurch motorways routes, and released a project summary for Puhoi to Wellsford.

The Wellington Northern Corridor will be developed as a four-lane expressway from Levin to Wellington Airport. It will be built in sections, with the overall route substantially completed within 10 years. The announcement also included outlining the proposed route for the Sandhills Expressway on the Kapiti Coast.

Mr Dangerfield says the NZTA is looking to establish an alliance for the design and construction of the expressway. “Development of the Sandhills Expressway is a key part of establishing an efficient commuter and freight link north of Wellington.

We’ve made a commitment to fast-track this project, and we want to provide further certainty for the Kapiti community by moving quickly to establish an alliance and start design works,” he says.

South Island

In January the NZTA announced the scope of the Christchurch road of national significance and the awarding of a contract for constructing the first stage of the Christchurch Southern Motorway to a consortium led by Fulton Hogan in partnership with the engineering consultancy Beca.

With an investment of $140 million, the Christchurch Southern Motorway project is the largest road construction project ever undertaken in the South Island, and is the first project in a 10-year state highway network improvement programme in and around Christchurch.

The Christchurch road of national significance also includes the Northern Arterial from the existing Northern Motorway to Queen Elizabeth II Drive (SH74), the Southern Motorway extension (SH73) from Curletts Road all the way to Weedons Road north of Rolleston, and the Western Corridor (SH1) from Hornby to the Northern Motorway.

The Southern Motorway extension will also deliver reliable, safe and efficient access to and from the Christchurch central business district and Lyttelton Port for businesses throughout the Canterbury region, particularly those south of Christchurch.

For further information, visit www.nzta.govt.nz