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).