Media statement | 28 June 2005

Safety and route security Land Transport NZ’s focus for Northland

Safety and the ability of the local roads to withstand growth in heavy vehicle and tourist traffic are the focus for Northland in the 2006/07 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP).

Land Transport NZ today announced $2.3 billion in transport spending for New Zealand in 2006/07, including $51 million for investment in Northland’s land transport network.

This includes $43 million for maintenance of state highways and local roads and $5 million for construction of state highways and local roads.

Land Transport NZ chair Dr Jan Wright says the agency and its partners are committed to making Northland’s major routes safer and more efficient, and making passenger transport more attractive as an alternative to using the car.

Land Transport New Zealand maintains its commitment to the Northland area with the allocation of further regional development funds in 2006/07 for the reconstruction of local road networks used by the forestry sector. Construction will continue this year on the main arterial logging routes in the Far North, Whangarei and Kaipara at a cost of $10 million.

Elsewhere in the region, 2006/07 funding will be used to design the upgrade of SH 1 to Cape Reinga and the Akerama curves on SH 1 and for investigation work into stage 2 of the Kamo bypass. Other projects continuing in 2006/07 include:

• Ongoing reconstruction of further sections of the principal arterial logging routes on West Coast Road in the Far North district, Mangakahia Road in the Whangarei district and Pouto Road in the Kaipara district (funded from the national allocation of $20 million for regional development)
• Construction of Northland’s first stock effluent disposal facility off South End Avenue in Whangarei

Projects which may be funded during the year include:

• Development and construction of the Old Bay Road between Kerikeri/Paihia and Kaikohe in the Far North district, to address safety problems and high maintenance costs on the existing route
• The construction of the Kerikeri Heritage bypass to move traffic away from historic buildings, replacing the existing single lane bridge and improving connectivity across Kerikeri
• The continuation of the bridge replacement programme in the Kaipara District with two bridge renewals at Central Road and Paparoa-Oakleigh Road

Funding for NZ Police land transport activities in the Northland region totals $9 million for 2006/07. The road safety goal for the Northland region is that by 2010 fatalities and hospitalisations will be fewer than 340 per annum. There were 464 fatalities and hospitalisations due to road crashes in 2005.

Dr Wright says the activities funded through the NLTP reflect Land Transport NZ’s objective of contributing to an integrated, safe, responsive and sustainable land transport system.

“New Zealand faces huge transport challenges. The $2.3 billion allocated by this year’s NLTP will help us meet those challenges.”

Regional newsletters, a fact sheet and the NLTP book, which details all projects in the 2006/07 NLTP, will be available at www.landtransport.govt.nz from 6pm today.

For more information:

Andy Knackstedt
Land Transport NZ Media Manager
(04) 931 8822
021 276 3222

Peter Kippenberger
Partnership Manager, Northern
(09) 969 9812
021 913 882