Progress on roads
The New Zealand Transport Agency’s proposal to designate Mangakahia Road a state highway is, on the face of it, good news for the Far North. For years Northland mayors have been asking the agency to add the 71km road (and Te Pua Road, Otaika Valley Road and Loop Road North, which join Mangakahia Road to State Highway 1) to the highway network. I am pleased that the agency’s board has recognised these roads’ importance as an inland freight route, and is prepared to raise the level of maintenance on this route. I look forward to gaining a better understanding of the conditions attached to this offer, which is dependent on Northland councils entering a formal arrangement with the agency to jointly asset manage the roading network.
The positives I can see so far for the Far North are that the district will get a viable alternative to State Highway 1, which was closed for nearly a week last winter when heavy rain and land subsidence reduced a section of the highway south of Kawakawa to one lane. Big trucks were diverted to Mangakahia Road. However, the road wasn’t designed to carry high volumes of heavy traffic, and had to be closed periodically for safety reasons, forcing trucks to make even longer journeys via State Highway 12.
Designating Mangakahia Road a highway and raising the level of maintenance would give the Far North a second roading link to the port in Whangarei and to points south, including Auckland. This would be welcomed by Far North businesses, who depend on the roading network to get goods in and out of the district, and by ratepayers, who shoulder the ‘local share’ costs of maintaining these roads. I am unable to comment on any drawbacks until Northland councils have met with the agency. However, rest assured that it is our intention to negotiate an agreement that is to our collective advantage.
Other good news is that the NZTA has got the green light from the government to build the Puhoi to Warkworth northern motorway extension through a Public Private Partnership. This is a significant step towards completing this long- awaited motorway, which will cut journey times between the Far North and Auckland and improve the movement of freight between Northland and the upper North Island. The new motorway will also improve safety on this heavily-used route, which currently passes through the accident black spot Dome Valley.
I look forward to seeing what Far North projects the agency is planning when it releases its budget for the new financial year. These two projects represent progress, but we have a long way to go in terms of the government addressing other roading issues in the district.