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.
