Call to fast-track road safety work

Safety upgrades on high-risk sections of state highways should be urgently advanced when the Government starts its post-coronavirus infrastructure drive, the Automobile Association says.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the Government would release a list of infrastructure projects to begin as soon as possible after lockdown measures eased, in an effort to help the country’s economy bounce back.

The AA said highway safety upgrades should be top of that list for Wellington and Wairarapa, and called for some projects to be fast-tracked.

They include upgrades on State Highway 58 between Hutt Valley and Porirua – statistically the region’s most high-risk road; State Highway 1 between Manakau and Ohau; State Highway 2 between Carterton and Masterton, and Upper Hutt and Te Marua.

Also on the list are improvements to SH2 at Mt Bruce, a Waihenga Bridge replacement on SH53, and advanced planning and design for an extra Mt Victoria tunnel in Wellington.

AA motoring affairs general manager Mike Noon said now was the time for critical improvements to happen following years without progress.

‘‘The current situation gives us the opportunity to fast-track the work that should have happened well before now.’’

Planned safety upgrades on SH58 were taken off the table in May last year, with temporary safety improvements subsequently announced in August.

The highway, along with SH1 between Otaki and Levin, had some of the highest crash rates in the country, while SH2 at Masterton had struggling to keep up with population growth.

The projects were all part of NZTA’s safe network programme but there had been little progress in installing safety features such as median barriers, wider shoulders, roundabouts, and passing lanes, Noon said.

AA road safety spokesman Dylan Thomsen said the projects would likely cost several hundred million dollars but

many of them were already funded through the safe network programme.

Road Transport Forum chief executive Nick Leggett said improving inter

sections and roads throughout the Wellington region should be NZTA’s top priority as the country moved out of lockdown.

‘‘The focus has got to be on safety and we’ve got to use this opportunity to get the right projects funded.’’

The forum also wanted the proposed $1 billion Petone-to-Grenada highway to be brought forward. That project won’t be considered for funding until 2028.

‘‘The need for that is going to emerge when Transmission Gully opens [by the end of the year].’’

Transport Minister Phil Twyford said the Government planned to spend $10 billion on road safety and work was already under way on some projects, including early business case work for the extra Mt Victoria tunnel.

‘‘A number of safety improvements were completed between O¯ taki and north of Levin in 2018, including flexible posts on flush medians, static signs, and the repainting of existing road markings.’’

Stage one of SH58 safety improvements were also under construction, while funding had been secured for stage two, he said.

The Government was considering new shovel-ready projects to support the post-lockdown economy and cushion the blow from the pandemic.

‘‘We will have more to say on this in the coming weeks.’’

The AA would reveal its proposals for other regions in coming weeks.