More road funding called for
The Ministry of Transport (MoT) released its draft Government Policy Statement on land transport (GPS) 2024 earlier this year, seeking feedback from councils around New Zealand. The draft GPS outlines the government’s plan for investing in land transport, prioritising economic growth and productivity, increased maintenance and resilience, safety, and value for money from transport expenditure.
Hurunui District Council’s (HDC) submission supports the draft GPS with its increased focus on improving maintenance and resilience of local roads, which aligns with HDC’s top investment priorities.
The HDC submission notes the problematic issue of funding the replacement of the Conway Bridge on the Inland Road (Route 70) since the Special Purpose Road classification has been removed.
HDC’s CEO Hamish Dobbie said this bridge carries all over dimension traffic between Picton and Christchurch as these vehicles cannot use the coastal tunnels, and is also used as an alternative route to State Highway 1 when State Highway 1 through the Hundalees is closed.
Due to its age and condition, the bridge has been weight-restricted and will likely see further restrictions as it ages, reducing its ability to carry this level of traffic.
“This will cause significant productivity inefficiency and economic loss, as the alternative route is via the Lewis Pass,” said Dobbie.
Although HDC supports the GPS, Dobbie stated there are flaws in the way roading is funded in New Zealand.
Currently roading is funded largely from fuel excise and road user charges, and this funding is focussed on operational maintenance which means large infrastructure replacements are largely funded through operational cashflow. These infrastructure assets are long life assets with bridges for example often having a lifespan of 100 years or more. Dobbie is of the view that a new class of equity funding should be created for the roading network, specifically to fund replacement of longer life infrastructure in the network.
The draft GPS has a focus on improving public transport throughout New Zealand via Rapid Transport Corridors, but Dobbie identified concern in this for the Hurunui District.
“Our district is predominantly rural and does not have public transport connections, therefore we are reliant on private vehicles.”
Dobbie encouraged the draft GPS to consider enhancing funding for community vehicle trusts, which have proved a great success in Hurunui.
In the submission he reaffirmed that people from this rural district are entirely dependent on local roads.
“The predominance of low-volume, high-value roads in Hurunui requires greater investment in ongoing maintenance and renewals to ensure our network can continue to support regional and national social and economic outcomes.”
Submissions have now closed. Following consultation, the MoT will use the feedback to provide advice to the Minister of Transport on the final GPS 2024. The final GPS will come into effect by July 2024.