In Transit - November 1997 - No. 86 - Summary of construction work commencing that summer

 

With the uplift in funding over the previous two years (lowering the benefit/cost ratio threshold of land transport funding capital works from 5 to 4.5 to 4:1), this edition of In Transit focused mostly on the construction work continuing and starting around the country at the end of 1997.  Perhaps what may be of interest today is the relatively modest price of so much construction work at the time, as even taking into account inflation (CPI) prices would be much more than the 88% increase since then, today.  Even on wage inflation of x 2.49, the costs of construction look modest. 

Key projects underway were:

• ALPURT (Albany-Silverdale extension of the Northern Motorway) enabling works, with opening expected in 2000 (and the whole route to Puhoi by 2002, which did not happen as funding priorities were changed following the change of government in 1999, seeing work terminate for several years at Orewa - and the Puhoi segment redesigned into a higher quality route and made into the first toll road under the Land Transport Management Act).  Budget at the time for the whole project was $175m
• Orewa bridge replacement (to be open February 1998).
• Te Here curves realignment, SH1 Waikato to be completed March 1998 ($750k)
• Napier-Hastings motorway extension (which did not become a legal motorway but rather classified as expressway). Essentially a two-lane limited access highway built from Pakowhai to Hastings along the long standing Hawke's Bay motorway corridor protected since the 1960s. Including the Ngaruroro River Bridge, the cost was $10.3m, and was described as the largest single road project in the region since the Runanga Deviation on SH5 in the late 1960s.  This provided a direct faster route from Napier to Hastings, especially as Omaha Road is adjacent to the main Hawke's Bay regional hospital. It was a 7.7km new road with a 323m bridge.
• Vinegar Hill realignment SH1 near Hunterville, at $5.8m. Includes 4.4km of new highway.
• Laws Hill realignment SH57 near Shannon at $3.5m, includes 2.5km of new highway and passing lane.
• Newlands Interchange Wellington SH1, at $17m
• Stoke Bypass Nelson SH6, at $26.2m including 7km of new road including grade separation and passing lanes.
• Otira Viaduct SH73 at $25m.
• Hawks Crag rock clearance SH6 Buller Gorge
• Tumai Realignment SH1 north of Dunedin at $2.8m, including 2.5km of realignment and a 800m passing lane
• Gorge Creek bluffs realignment SH8 between Alexandra and Roxburgh at $650k

Also mentioned is a sample of rough textured stone use for sealing road in Hawke's Bay to improve skid resistance and Transit's support for a speed enforcement campaign.

In Transit - October 1997 - No. 85 - Financial reporting database - AIMSUN modelling - ATMS trial

 The October 1997 edition of In Transit focuses on:

• Launch of the PROMAN project financial reporting database to track spending on all projects
• AIMSUN2 modelling software used in Mecca, may be used in Auckland
• Some evidence that NZ drivers appear to be more aggressive than those in some other countries
• Trial of ATMS to commence on Auckland motorway network
• Stormwater drain burst near Newlands Interchange project
• Electronic tolling to begin in two years with Melbourne Citylink project.

In Transit - September 1997 - No. 84 - National State Highway Strategy Released - Transit's proposal for road reform

The September 1997 issue of In Transit focused on the release of the draft National State Highway Strategy which was intended to outline the vision, goals and objectives for its management of the state highway system. The overarching vision was to "provide road users with safe and efficient state highway solutions", with four goals around safety, efficient, quality service and avoid or mitigating adverse environmental effects.  It included some specific goals including upgrading urban highways in main cities, such as four-laning rural corridors around Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga and Wellington, building additional passing lanes and improving existing road alignments. The draft strategy was subject to a three month consultation.

Perhaps of greater interest are two smaller articles with an eye to reform of the sector.

The first, titled "Roading lessons from past point to future" noted that a 1953 report called the "Report of the Roading Investigation Committee" covered issued still valid in 1997. This included that road traffic was national in character and that the burden of paying for roads should shift from ratepayers to road users. The 1953 report recommended that the importance of a national network should be recognised. The report resulted in the National Roads Board being created.

The second titled "Transit calls for one company to provide all roads" was a note of Transit New Zealand's submission to the Ministry of Transport discussion paper "Land Transport Pricing Study : Options for the Future".  It proposed that the Government form a single road company to manage the entire national road network (including local roads). It would not be an enlarged Transit New Zealand (although it is hard to anticipate it wouldn't look like that) but a joint central and local government formed entity.

Transit New Zealand proposed the new company could charge road users directly, go into partnerships with the private sector and borrow money, and move away from government dependency for funding of roads. It included not imposing a cost of capital charge on existing roads (but implies new ones could) contracting out speed and overweight vehicle enforcement. and replace fuel tax. It also proposed that rates be replaced with a "property access charge" to reflect the contribution of road access to the value of a property. The intention being that all road users face the economic costs of their decisions.

In 2024, given the Government of the day wishes to replace fuel tax, it is interesting to consider how this was being considered by the state highway agency nearly 30 years earlier!

Other points in this edition include:

• Image of the construction of the Newlands Interchange, SH1 Wellington
• A symposium promoting greater use of cycling in urban areas and how that can be encouraged
• Image of a Kiwi Crossing sign on SH73 near Arthurs Pass
• Road Engineering Association of Asia and Australasia presenter to discuss keeping roads open in winter
• Photo of a delegation from the US Federal Highway Administration visiting New Zealand

1997/98 National Roading Programme : Transfund News June/July 1997 No.5 and In Transit July 1997 No.82

 

This post contains both the Transfund and Transit NZ newsletters focused on the 1997/1998 National Roading Programme, the second National Roading Programme released by Transfund.  The key point was that the funding threshold for capital works had been lowered from a BCR of 4.5/1 to 4/1 (it had been 5/1 for some years before then). This saw $829.2m (exc.GST) being spent in that year.  This saw a 20% increase in road construction. Main construction projects funded included:

• Widening Auckland's Northern Motorway northbound from Onewa Rd to Esmonde Rd
• Albany-Puhoi realignment (Albany-Silverdale-Orewa section)
• Realignment of SH26 Platts Rd, Waikato District
• Realignment of SH5 Stockpile curves, Rotorua District
• Realignment of SH33 Maungarangi S bends, Western BOP District
• SH1 deviation Taihape
• Ngaere Overbridge realignment SH3, Stratford District
• Plimmerton-Pukerua Bay realignment and four laning, SH1 Wellington
• Realignment Sloans-Tumai, SH1, Otago
• Stoke Bypass construction SH6
• Khyber Pass, Symonds St, Newton St intersection upgrade, Auckland City
• Mt Eden/Balmoral intersection upgrade, Auckland City
• ALPURT-Orewa Link Road, Rodney District
• Stage 2 Glenorchy Rd seal extension ,Queenstown-Lakes District
• Southern Catlins Scenic Route seal extension, Clutha District

Also of note were modest increases in maintenance funding for local roads and state highways, continuation of similar funding for public transport subsidies, and funding for investigation and design works on several major projects notably:

• Kopu Bridge replacement SH25
• East Tamaki Corridor Arterial, Manukau City (later built as Te Irirangi Drive)
• R1 Arterial Hamilton City (later built as Wairere Drive)
• Kapiti Sandhills Arterial (later cancelled in favour of the Kapiti Expressway on a similar alignment)

It was noted that passenger transport funding was up 25% in Gisborne/Hawke's Bay, 14% in Manawatu/Wanganui/Taranaki and 9.6% in Otago/Southland. 

A separate leaflet on the new structure for Transfund New Zealand was also published (see below)

The In-Transit newsletter focused understandably on the state highway projects. Besides the projects listed above, it also noted funding to improve the Taupo northern access, the Vinegar Hill realignment at SH1/SH54 intersection in Rangitikei District and the widening of seven one-lane bridges on SH6 in Queenstown/Lakes District, as one bridge on SH94.  

Other articles in the In Transit newsletter noted:

• Development of modelling of traffic flows;
• Continuing construction of the SH16 Rosebank-Patiki Interchange on Auckland's North-Western Motorway (providing east bound off and on ramps to pair with the westbound ones that had long existed). 

In Transit - June 1997 - No. 81 - Annual safety certification of highways, Newlands Interchange and other projects

 The June 1997 issue of In Transit had articles on the following points:

• An annual safety certification of the state highway network is to be produced to identify opportunities to improve the safety of the network. This covers factors like roadside shoulder slopes, road camber, obstructions on the road edge, running a checklist over the entire network, with annual reviews of this status.
• Retirement of John Kearney from the Transit NZ Board. He commented that establishment of Transit NZ improved control and management of the state highway system, as it looked at it from a system not a sectoral point of view. 
• Work commencing on the $16.5m Newlands Interchange project in Wellington on SH1.
• Near completion of a new level crossing at Rolleston with Selwyn District, adjacent to SH1 (a site of four fatalities).
• Vibralines to be installed on the edges of Auckland motorways following successful trials on the Johnsonville-Porirua Motorway near Tawa. This is expected to reduce the 400 accidents a year due to vehicles running off the motorway network, by cutting injury crashes by 15%.
• Transit NZ purchased land as part of a property development north of Tauranga to enable a corridor for the future northern Tauranga arterial project (what is now known as Takitimu North Link).
• Options being investigated for the Te Puke Bypass (what is now the Tauranga Eastern Link) SH2.
• Work to start on the $7m Kaitoke realignment on SH2 Wellington between Upper Hutt and the Remutakas.
• Joint planning study launched with Kapiti Coast District Council for what was to be called the Kapiti Western Link Road project (a local road to connect Raumati, Paraparaumu and Waikanae to relieve SH1). This project was cancelled in favour of the Kapiti Expressway which was started in 2013 and completed in 2017, bypassing Paraparaumu and Waikanae with SH1.

In Transit - April 1997 - No. 79 - Focus on fixing crash black spots

 

In April 1997, the Transit NZ newsletter (no longer monthly as the previous edition was February, focused on the success in reducing the road toll.  It also reported on opening of a motorway extension in Auckland (SH20 Mangere to Papatoetoe) and commencement of work on another (SH1 Albany to Puhoi enabling works), with cost estimates that look remarkably cheap compared to today in real terms.

1996 had the lowest road toll in 32 years at 515 fatalities, 67 fewer than in 1995, and only higher than 1964 which had 428 with a much lower population and VKT.

It was attributed to a focus on drunk driving and speeding, along with the long standing "black spot" programme established in 1985 focusing on locations where there had been at least three injury accidents within five years. On all roads there were 4200 fewer injury crashes at locations remedied comparing 1985 to 1996, reducing crashes by 28%, with about half of the reduction on state highways.  The crash investigation programme gathered data on each site to identify the causes of crashes and what infrastructure improvements might address them.  A wider initiative was a highway inspection process to identify network deficiencies and develop a safety culture to address possible issues, like overgrown foliage blocking visibility at intersections. Covert speed camera trials were being considered to address speeding.

Page 2 continued the article on safety, but also South American interest in the reforms in the road sector, particularly from Colombia, with some observations on technology such as telecommuting and enabling motorists to "dial up" traffic cameras as part of Auckland's Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS) (a precursor to accessing them online).

Page 3 announced enabling contracts had been let for the then $165m Albany to Puhoi extension to the Northern Motorway.  At the time, the motorway was to be four-lanes to Orewa, and only two-lanes with passing lanes from Orewa to Puhoi, but built to a standard to enable four-laning at a later stage (the tunnel was not envisaged at this time).  The project was intended to be completed by 1999, but only the Albany to Silverdale section had been completed by that date.  At the time, the project (ALPURT as it was then called) was the largest single road project ever undertaken in New Zealand, primarily because all other sections of motorway in Auckland (and other cities) were built piecemeal over many years.  

Page 3 also saw the opening of the SH20 extension between Mangere Bridge and Papatoetoe, and the Airport Motorway as far as Kirkbride Road intersection with George Bolt Memorial Drive (then only a single-lane highway with passing lanes). The entire project was a five km extension built at a cost of $40m.  It was notable as the first ever design-build contract let by Transit NZ. The project notably included four pedestrian over bridges along with eight local road over bridges, and associated cycleways. It was reported as having significantly reduced congestion on urban roads through Mangere, effectively combining two sections of motorway from Hillsborough Road through to Roscommon Road.  It also significantly reduced travel times to and from the airport (noting there was no eastern access route to the airport at the time).

Page 4 reports on the use of a vehicle using lasers to measure road surfaces on all state highways to help collect data for the RAMM asset maintenance system to better plan road maintenance across the network.  Finally, there is a report on the realignment of SH6 Rai Valley in Marlborough ($263,000) which required relocation of a 50 year old kauri tree. 

In Transit - February 1997 - No. 78 - Focus on repairs after Cyclones Fergus and Drena

 

In NZ, emergency works were always not too far away as part of the portfolio of works for road networks.  In February 1997, Cyclones Fergus and Drena caused extensive damage mainly in the Coromandel District.  The feature article highlights the cost of $5.8m (1997 prices) to fix the damage on SH25 and SH2, but also damage on SH1 (Brynderwyns), SH35 and SH88.

Other stories include:

• Review of Special Purpose Roads: Special Purpose Roads were a category of local road that were subject to higher Financial Assistance Rate funding (typically 75%) from the National Roading Programme compared to other local roads (which obtain typically 50%). Such roads get higher funding because of a high proportion of tourist traffic, be below state highway standard and pass by properties with rating potential much lower than the costs of maintaining the road.  Curiously, this decision has mostly funding implications, yet was being carried out by Transit New Zealand which was no longer the funding agency, as Transfund New Zealand had been formed the previous year. 
• Declaration of the revoked section of SH38 as a Special Purpose Road: As part of the State Highway Review in 1995, Transit New Zealand revoked SH38 between Te Whaiti and Ruatahuna. Transit announced it had decided to classify it as a Special Purpose Road increasing the funding to 75% of maintenance costs. That section of road was not sealed at the time. 
• Earthquake strengthening of Thorndon Overbridge of the Wellington Urban Motorway: Image provided of the work to strengthen the 72 concrete columns supporting the Wellington Urban Motorway from the harbour over the Ferry Terminal, railway yards, Thorndon Quay. 
• Briefing to the incoming Minister of Transport - Jenny Shipley indicates critical traffic levels in Auckland: This noted that traffic on Auckland Harbour Bridge had increased 20% between 1989 and 1997, and on the Northern Motorway south of Albany (when at this time it terminated), it had doubled from 1989 to 1995.  It noted work was underway investigating and consulting on various major projects included:
• SH1 Albany-Puhoi (built in two stages)
• SH1 Harbour Bridge approaches (subsequently cancelled in favour of the Victoria Park Tunnel)
• SH18 Greenhithe Bypass (built as part of the Upper Harbour Motorway)
• SH18 Hobsonville Bypass (built as part of the Upper Harbour Motorway)
• SH20 extension to Richardson Road (built)
• SH20 extension to SH1 south (built)
• Bus only lanes on Northern Motorway (partially replaced with Northern Busway)
• Transit NZ winning the Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand (IPENZ) environmental award: For the upgrade of SH12 through Waipoua Forest.