Manawatu Gorge included in $10.5b plan

"It's fantastic news for the region." Tracey Collis, Tararua mayor

The Manawatu Gorge is one of 10 roads proposed to be upgraded in a new multibillion-dollar plan released by National.

Its Roads of National Significance plan will invest $10.5 billion into roads across the country.

The Manawatu Gorge, which has been closed since April 2017, was just one of the roads chosen, in an announcement made by Transport Minister Simon Bridges on Sunday.

The plan has received support from both Tararua mayor Tracey Collis and Manawatu mayor Helen Worboys.

National identified State Highway 3, which runs through the Manawatu Gorge, as being important for traffic and freight in the Lower North Island.

As part its Next Generation Roads of National Significance project, it would fund a permanent, long-term solution that would take into account the communities affected by the gorge.

However, it was not yet clear what ‘‘long-term solution’’ National would use to fix the gorge closure issue.

State Highway 3 has been closed to traffic since two large slips blocked the road in April.

A third slip came down after repair crews were withdrawn in July and the NZ Transport Agency’s monitoring indicated the area was unstable with more slips a possibility.

The timeframes on the gorge varied, with an independent report, by Giancarlo Hannan, finding a long-term solution could be between seven to 10 years away.

However, Collis said National’s announcement was good news and by making it a top roading priority it reduced uncertainty around the closure.

‘‘It’s fantastic news for the region.’’

The gorge closure was affecting transport, residents and businesses all about the district, she said.

The highway was a national issue that needed to be picked up by all political parties, regardless of the election, she said.

The state highway’s closure has impacted businesses in Woodville, with some shutting up shop because of low customer numbers and dwindling profits.

The price ticket on National’s 10-road plan was expected to be about $10.5b, on top of the estimated $12b invested into the plan’s initial seven roads.

Initial funding would come from the infrastructure investment of $32.5b, announced in Budget 2017, Bridges said.

The road between Levin and Sanson would also get a spruce up, as part of the plan.

The four-lane state highway would be an extension of the Wellington Northern Corridor - a roading project under way between Wellington Airport and Levin, which was due for completion by 2021.

Manawatu mayor Helen Worboys said the announcement on the gorge plan and Shannon to Levin link were positives for the region.

The gorge was absolutely critical in linking the region to others and allowing access to transport and freight, she said.

It also ‘‘makes absolute sense’’ to extend the Wellington roading upgrade to Shannon, she said.

National stated some of the benefits of upgrading the road were reducing travel time, reducing congestion, and making the highway more resilient in a natural disaster event.

The eight other roads included in the proposal were Wellsford to Whangarei, East West link in Auckland, Cambridge to Tirau, Piarere to the foot of the Kaimai Range, Tauranga to Katikati, Napier to Hastings, Christchurch Northern Motorway and the route between Christchurch and Ashburton.

The four-lane highway link between Napier and Hastings was chosen to boost economic growth, help employees and freight.

The roads were identified using the New Zealand Transport Agency’s One Network Road Classification system.

Once the original projects were completed, new projects could come on and would be funded by existing revenue sources.

‘‘The completed Roads of National Significance are also our safest, with no road fatalities to date,’’ Bridges said.

Some features of the Road of National Significance project included four-lane State Highways – which meant two lanes of traffic flow in each direction, wide lanes and wide, sealed shoulders, and high quality signage.