Highway projects on a road to nowhere
Secret paper says no funding of new roading in next 10 years
The days of the Labour Government building major new roads are coming to an end to tackle climate change.
The shift has alarmed the AA and business groups who say roads are essential for the economy and communities, and investment is needed in all forms of transport.
The Greens are also unimpressed, saying Labour is outspending the previous National Government on highways.
Outside the major roading projects under way, such as Pu¯hoi to Warkworth, the Hamilton bypass and Wellington’s Transmission Gully, the Government has three new major roads on the books – the $830 million Penlink road connecting the Whangaparaoa Peninsula with State Highway 1 in Auckland, the first stage of Tauranga’s Northern Link and a 24km highway on SH1 between O¯taki and north of Levin.
Last month, the Government axed several promised four-lane highways, including Whanga¯rei to Port Marsden, Mill Rd in South Auckland and the second stage of the Tauranga Northern Link.
Other big roading projects, such as extending the Waikato Expressway from Cambridge to Pairere and the East-West link crossing Auckland’s industrial heartland, have fallen away.
The Government’s plans to move away from roads are spelled out in a confidential Ministry of Transport document, proactively released by the Transport Agency.
In a letter to Transport Minister Michael Wood and Finance Minister Grant Robertson, the ministry said the Government Policy Statement on Land Transport signals there will be no funding for new major roads in the next 10 years.
“We are unaware of any future intentions for the Government to commit significant investment into roading projects,” says the ministry paper, dated May 24.
Wood told the Weekend Herald the ministry paper refers to the fact the Government has broadened from a singular focus to meet a wider range of objectives, including safety, maintenance and reducing emissions.
“The Government continues to make significant investments across the transport network, including significant improvements to the roading network in the $8.9 billion NZ Upgrade Programme,” Wood said.
The minister would not commit to building a list of major roading projects submitted by the
Weekend Herad over the next 10 years. Nor did he name any new roads beyond those underway or approved.
When Labour came to office in 2017, it moved the transport dial towards safety and maintenance, but in January last year the pendulum swung back with a “New Zealand Upgrade Programme” (NZUP) containing several highway projects.
In light of increased costs – the price of Mill Rd ballooned from $1.3b to $3.5b – and a renewed focus on climate change, the programme was “rebalanced” last month to increase investment in rail, public transport, walking and cycling. The big news was a $685m cycle bridge across the Waitemata¯ Harbour.
The Government is also working on getting light rail in Auckland back on track, costing anything up to
$15b.
National’s transport spokesman Michael Woodhouse said Labour is intent on strangling roading investment in an effort to see more people using public transport when more investment is needed in both.
National would cancel light rail in Auckland and prioritise three abandoned roading projects: Mill Rd, extending the Waikato Expressway from Cambridge to Pairere and stage 2 of Tauranga’s Northern Link.
Green’s transport spokeswoman Julie Anne Genter said over the next 10 years the vast majority of capital for new transport projects was tied up in highway projects when more investment is needed for low-carbon alternatives and safety improvements to existing roads.
Between $1.5b and $2.5b a year is going into highways, “more money than the National Party was spending”, she said.
The AA and others are concerned about the consequences of major growth on the outskirts of big cities without the investment in roads.
AA principal adviser Martin Glynn said there needed to be a reality check about the extent public transport alone can meet the needs of communities to access jobs in newly developed city areas.
“The Government recently cited climate change as one of the reasons for not proceeding with strategic new roads on the outskirts of Auckland and Tauranga. There is a very real risk that without these roads in place, more growth will lead to more congestion and more emissions.”
Writing in the Herald this month, Auckland University law professor David Grinlinton said Auckland road networks would continue to be critical, saying public transport would not reach every corner of the city and simply not be feasible for many.
Auckland Business Forum chairman Michael Barnett said shutting up shop on road building would be disastrous for the city’s productivity and liveability.
“Australian cities are spending record amounts on public transport, but they’re also investing massively in the road network. Our leaders need to realise it’s not a binary thing. You need to do both.”
National Road Carriers Association chief operating officer James Smith said the Government seems fixated on private transport and thinks it does not need new roads because cars can be replaced by public transport, walking and cycling.
“As long as freight needs to be moved by vehicles connected to the ground we need good roads. All the congestion caused by insufficient and poor roads just adds to carbon emissions.”
Civil Contractors chief executive Peter Silcock said contractors were looking for a consistent pipeline of work that does not have a lot of chopping and changing.
He also questioned the wisdom of building new houses on the edge of major cities with no investment in new roads, which, he said, are needed for buses and electric vehicles.