Mayor's frustration boils over in fight to fix ‘most dangerous highway'

Western Bay of Plenty mayor Garry Webber has questioned why anyone would bother getting into local politics after an upgrade for the district’s “most dangerous highway” was not included in $1.4 billion transport funding.

Webber has long campaigned for greater investment to be made on the State Highway 2 stretch between Katikati ¯and Tauranga, particularly given Omokoroa’s ballooning population.

This week, Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency announced it was spending $24.3b nationally as part of its 2021-24 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP), including $1.4b in the Bay of Plenty.

The transport agency says this is a “significant” commitment.

However, that figure excludes the second stage of the Takitimu North Link (TNL), a 7km extension with four new lanes between O¯ mokoroa and Te Puna.

The Government has previously flip-flopped on the TNL. It allocated $933 million through the New Zealand Upgrade Programme in January 2020 to build two stages. Then in June this year, it pulled funding for stage 2, citing rising construction costs and changing national priorities.

This week’s NLTP announcement confirmed funding for stage 1 but nothing for stage 2, leaving Webber disheartened.

The transport agency said route protection for TNL stage 2 would be done but construction was unlikely to receive national funding within the next decade.

Webber, a member of the Bay of Plenty Regional Transport Committee, said the exclusion for the Western Bay was “an incredible mistake”.

“It just astounds me. We go to these meetings and everybody agrees we have this major problem with congestion . . . but they don’t even make the list.”

Webber said he and the wider Western Bay community were “bitterly disappointed because you are promised stuff, then the rug is pulled out from under your feet”.

He said the announcement was a “dark day” for him.

“You just wonder why do you keep hitting your head against a brick wall when you work out the bruising just isn’t worth it.

“When you have the most dangerous highway in your district, and people don’t seem to worry about fixing it . . . it makes you question why the hell anyone would get involved in local government.”

The NLTP funding for the Bay included $121m for projects to reduce deaths and injury on local roads plus SH2 safety upgrades on the Te Puna to O¯ mokoroa stretch.

Bay of Plenty MP Todd Muller said it was hard to find any investment of “real value for our area” in the funding plan.

“Sure, it’s fine to see some improvements on the death trap that is SH2, but [there’s] still no commitment to build a four-lane to Katikati let alone O¯ mokoroa.”

Muller said the lack of urgency and capacity to get anything built was “staggering”.

“This city seems caught on a never-ending merry-go-round of reports and deliberations — a nightmarish scenario where progress is measured in more consultation and discussion, not more tarseal.”

Regional Transport Committee chairman Lyall Thurston said while the Government had acknowledged the region’s growing population and infrastructure needs, “they’ve got a long way to go to address a lot of concerns and priorities”.

He said stage 2 of the TNL was a “burning issue” for people in the region.

“That stretch of road is a death trap and the commuters who travel along that road on a daily basis are essentially playing Russian roulette. It desperately needs to be addressed.”

Thurston said it was important to acknowledge the region was still receiving a significant sum.

Sustainable Bay of Plenty’s Glen Crowther said there was a need to better align transport plans around urban growth and funding.

This included focusing on lowcarbon outcomes, he said.

More than $16.5m had been granted to go towards Tauranga City Council walking and cycling improvements.

Greater Tauranga’s Heidi Hughes said the investment in cycleways was encouraging “but the huge proportion of investment on roads is not the kind of transformational change that we need”.

Bold action was needed to meet climate change targets.

Tauranga City Council commission chairwoman Anne Tolley said the NLTP funding was a welcome step towards work to ensure Tauranga was well connected, easy to move around and had sustainable transport choices.

Transport agency director of regional relationships for Bay of Plenty and Waikato David Speirs said the route for TNL stage 2 would be protected but construction was unlikely to receive national funding within the next decade.

He said the agency told the Regional Transport Committee — including the Western Bay council — this funding delay was likely before it was first publicly announced in June.

For Te Puna to Omokoroa, ¯ he said the agency was focusing on safety-centred upgrades to the existing SH2 route, including at the O¯ mokoroa intersection.

“We’ll continue to work with local government and others to ensure we make the land transport system safe; that it connects people and businesses in our cities, towns, regions and rural areas; meets the needs of our growing communities, and prepares for the transition to a low-carbon economy.”

The transport agency was committed to a 30 to 70-year plan for integrating growth and transport in the Western Bay and Tauranga.

“Overall, the commitment made to the Western Bay of Plenty subregion in this NLTP is significant,” he said.

The funding would aim to “deliver the greatest possible benefits for people and communities across New Zealand”.

“Waka Kotahi recognises a well-maintained land transport system is critical to support Bay of Plenty’s residential and economic growth.”

Speirs said the agency faced “significant funding challenges” when developing the 2021-24 NLTP.

More than 90 per cent of forecast revenue was committed to approved work or debt repayment and there were more bids than funding available.

Transport Minister Michael Wood echoed Speirs’ comments about funding limitations.

The $1.4b was an increase of 111 per cent from the previous NLTP.