National MPs launch road upgrade petition
Through a series of petitions, National Party MPs are urging the new Government to carry out proposed road revamps around the country.
Nine regional road upgrades promised by the previous government could be reconsidered by Labour.
And a $400- to $600-million extension of the Waikato Expressway is among the road upgrades that could be canned.
During its campaign, National promised to invest $10.5 billion into road revamps .
Extending the Waikato Expressway was one of the proposed upgrades, for between Cambridge and Tirau, and Cambridge and the Kaimai Ranges, with longterm plans to extend the expressway to Tauranga.
A four-lane extension for the Piarere turnoff - a black spot for crashes between Cambridge and Tirau - was approved by the New Zealand Transport Authority.
But no contracts were signed and Labour has yet to give it the go-ahead.
Five people died and 14 were seriously injured in crashes on the route between 2011 and 2015, with more in 2017, accord- ing to the agency.
National MP for Hamilton East David Bennett - who was out gathering petition signatures this week - said Waikato could miss out on a hefty share of road infrastructure funding if the Waikato Expressway extension doesn’t go ahead.
‘‘We’re 9 per cent of the population, so on the land transport budget we’re due for is about $200 million.
‘‘We need something big like [the extension] to get our share of the national fund.’’
Regional road upgrades might be short-changed to subsidise Auckland’s railway, Bennett said.
‘‘They’ve done a $4 billion rail from Auckland city to the airport. So they have to find that money from the National Land Transport Fund somewhere.
‘‘The question is whether that is an existing roading project. There’s no contract there, so potentially they can pull out ... we’re an easy target.
‘‘We don’t want to be subsidising another region.’’
In a press release, the National Party said regional highway projects are at risk because of the Government’s ‘‘obsession for Auckland trams’’.
More road infrastructure is crucial for the ‘‘golden triangle of growth’’ between Hamilton, Tauranga and Auckland, Bennett said.
Transport Minister Phil Twyford is overseas and couldn’t be contacted for comment, but a spokeswoman for Twyford said in a statement that those concerns were baseless.
‘‘NZTA has advised that funding for road upgrades cannot be redirected into rail, so David Bennett’s concerns are unfounded.
‘‘It is also important to note that the Piarere to the Kaimai Range road proposal by National last August was a campaign promise, not an existing funded project. To suggest the Government isn’t going ahead with a project that doesn’t exist is misleading.’’
Labour is still investigating options for the expressway between Hamilton and Tauranga.
‘‘Work on SH1 between Cambridge and Piarere is ongoing, with route options being investigated for SH1 from the southern end of the Cambridge section through to the SH29 intersection, including the intersection itself,’’ Twyford’s spokeswoman said.
‘‘NZTA has undertaken wide consultation with the public and affected landowners along the route and it is expected that the final option will be announced in the coming months.
‘‘NZTA has advised it is undertaking short-term safety improvements on these routes, such as trimming vegetation and moving fences to make it easier for motorists to see.
‘‘While the work has been put on hold during the holiday period to avoid disruption to traffic, this work is under way. In addition, more extensive safety improvements are intended, including widening road shoulders and centre lines.’’