National Land Transport Programme 1996 - Whanganui regional office newsletter (Taranaki, Manawatu-Whanganui)

 

Translink August 1995

NLTP 1996 Taranaki/Manawatu-Whanganui new projects

NLTP 1996 Taranaki/Manawatu-Whanganui new projects

NLTP 1996 Taranaki/Manawatu-Whanganui summary

Translink was the newsletter for the Wanganui regional office of Transit New Zealand, covering Manawatu-Whanganui and Taranaki regions. This edition on the NLTP 1996 noted the following spending in the regions:

• $40.5m total in Manawatu/Wanganui
• $18.2m total in Taranaki
• $30.7m  to be spend on local roads maintenance and capital (the majority of spending in the region)
• $262,000 for passenger transport funding

Major new projects (over $1m) include:

• Maxwell to Bushy Park Road Stage III realignment SH3 Whanganui;
• Laws Hill Realignment SH57 south of Shannon;
• Pipiriki Rd seal extension in Ruapehu District.

Other key projects noted were:

• Seal extension SH43 of 2.2km (representing the start of sealing this State Highway, which was still not fully completed in 2023!)
• Continuing the Potts Hill realignment SH57 north of Levin
• Completing Greatford realignment SH1 north of Bulls
• Completing 4-laning of Manawatu River Bridge and Fitzherbert Avenue Palmerston North

Notable is the relatively high spending on local roads in the region. State highway spending predominantly is focused on realignments, but the 4-laning of Manawatu River Bridge and Fitzherbert Avenue was about relieving congestion in Palmerston North between Massey University and the rest of the city.  

National Land Transport Programme 1996 - Canterbury regional newsletter

 

Coast to Coast August 1995 issue

NLTP 1996 Canterbury/West Coast regional allocation

NLTP 1996 Canterbury/West Coast major projects

NLTP 1996 Canterbury/West Coast summary

In the Canterbury/West Coast newsletter the first page is a national summary, but beyond that key points include:

• $54.7m funding for Canterbury
• $18.2m funding for the West Coast
• $28m of spending is for local roads in both regions
• $2.5m of spending is for passenger transport in Canterbury, $23,200 for the West Coas

Main projects listed include:

• Cass River bridge replacement SH73
• Windy Point realignment SH7
• Completion of SH1 Timaru bypass

A large number of small state highway and local road safety, bridge replacement and cycling projects are also included, indicating the relatively high value given to safety projects at the time. Notably funding for the Otira Viaduct was only for the design phase, as the project did not meet the funding threshold for construction.

National Land Transport Programme 1996 - Otago/Southland regional newsletter

 

Transnews - Transit NZ Dunedin regional office newsletter August 1995

1996 NLTP Otago/Southland highlights

1996 NLTP Otago/Southland table of new projects

NLTP Otago/Southland committed pre-construction works and overall allocations

Following announcement of the NLTP, various Transit New Zealand regional offices published newsletters highlighting spending in their regions, not just on the State Highways, but also local roads and passenger transport. A key point from this newsletter from a national perspective is that in 1996 Transit New Zealand identified $0.75 billion worth of projects with a benefit/cost ratio between 2 and 5 that are unable to be funded, essentially indicating efficient projects worth proceeding with.  

For Otago/Southland this newsletter reported the following major funding points:

• $48 million to be spent in Otago and $23 million in Southland
• $34.4 million to be spent on local roads (excluding territorial authority share)
• $1.1 million to subsidise passenger transport in Otago and $320,000 in Southland

Major projects listed include:

• Completing sealing of SH87 (Last Creck-Central Otago District Boundary Seal Extn)
• 14km of seal extension on the Southern Scenic Route (Catlins) of the 40km unsealed at the time
• 8km of the 40km of unsealed Glenorchy Road to be sealed
• Three bridge renewal projects on the largely unsealed Crown Range Road
• SH1 Hillgrove-Katiki Realignment (committed work)
• SH1 McArthur's Bends Realignment (committed work)

Notable was that funding at the time was similar for local roads as for state highways, which in real terms meant almost double spending on local roads when the local share is taken into account (the 50% paid mostly by ratepayers).  Also notable was design funding for major projects for the Dunedin Southern Motorway, being the Fairfield Bypass and the East Taieri (Mosgiel) interchange.

In Transit August 1995 No.66 - Manawatu Gorge and other roads damaged by storms - and announcement of the National Land Transport Programme

 

In Transit August 1995 No.66

The closure of SH3 in the Manawatu Gorge in 2017 due to slips was of course not the first occasion the road had been subject to significant damage. This edition of InTransit highlights a series of roads closed due to storm damage, including two major slips in Manawatu Gorge (one consisting of 5000 cubic metres of material).  The road was closed for nearly three weeks whilst it was cleared.  Other roads closed at this time of year included the Desert Road for 9.5 days, noting it wasn't worthwhile to have snowplows for on average a few days a year, especially since there are viable diversion routes bypassing the Desert Road.

Other features of this newsletter included:

• Target to seal all State Highways by 2002, which has still not been achieved in 2023.
• Approval for the final National Land Transport Programme in 1996, sustaining the Benefit/Cost Ratio for new capital projects at 5:1 (with $43 million to start new construction projects).  Key projects highlighted included more spending on sealing unsealed roads and planning for major projects, including the Auckland Automated Traffic Management System and the Napier-Hastings Motorway extension (latterly called expressway, and consisted of the extension from Pakowhai Road to Omaha Road (Hastings).   Note the difference between sustaining a BCR of 5 and lowering it to 4 (for new projects) was merely $17m, but at the time this was wholly determined by Cabinet as part of the budgetary process.
• Bulls Bypass designation revoked. It was decided that a long-standing bypass designation on the north-eastern side of Bulls (for SH1) would be revoked, because the BCR for the project would only be 1.3, meaning it was not seen likely to be funded for 10-20 years.  Peak Christmas traffic saw only minor increases in delays.

In Transit April 1995 No. 62 - Restructuring of Transit New Zealand

 

In Transit April 1995 Pg1

In Transit April 1995 Pg2

In Transit April 1995 Pg3

In Transit April 1995 Pg4

The April 1995 edition of In Transit focused on internal restructuring of the agency into six divisions, which essentially foreshadowed the pending split of its land transport funding functions into Transfund New Zealand.  At the time Transit New Zealand was very much opposed to losing its funding functions, and this restructuring was, in part, designed to demonstrate to Ministers and MPs that it wasn't essential to set up a new land transport funding agency when Transit New Zealand could structurally separate internally.  Ultimately Ministers weren't convinced, as it was seen that there was a conflict of interest between Transit New Zealand being the largest recipient of National Land Transport Programme funds and also being the entity deciding on the allocation of those funds.  

The language used in this newsletter clearly indicates the intention of General Manager Robin Dunlop "Dr Dunlop is confident that this will remove any potential conflict of interest that may have been perceived to exist within Transit's previous structure".  Today Waka Kotahi/New Zealand Transport Agency is once again an integrated state highway manager and funding agency, as well as land transport regulatory authority.

Elsewhere this newsletter highlights:

• Completion of the SH1 Tamahere Deviation south of Hamilton, one of the first parts of the Waikato Expressway
• Noting the Authority visiting Waikato where it discussed the Pokeno Bypass, four-laning of SH1 from Ohinewai to Cambridge, Kopu Bridge (ultimately replaced over a decade later) and the Morrinsville Bypass (never built).
• All state highways to be tested for skid resistance
• Celebration of the completion of sealing of SH6 Haast Pass

In Transit June 1995 - No. 64 - Future National Land Transport Programme

 

In Transit June 1995 Pg1 

In Transit June 1995 Pg2

In Transit June 1995 Pg3

In Transit June 1995 Pg4

First apologies, as you'll see Page 2 has been "checked" by someone who was very young at the time (!), but it is still largely legible.

This edition of InTransit focused on preparing readers for the forthcoming announcement of the National Land Transport Programme.  The decision was to be made in the July meeting of the Authority ("board") following the decision by Cabinet as to how much funding would be available (on top of the 97% of previous year's budget guaranteed) for the Programme - that decision was for $675.8M (Transit NZ requested $692.8M).  The Board then gets to revise its list of projects and funding by output class, before getting final approval from the Minister as to the amounts by output class.  The level of funding approved by Government was sufficient to retain capital project funding at a BCR of 5.0

The edition notes the importance of having a dedicated fund (which was announced as Government policy but not yet implemented). This edition highlights the issue of the Otira Viaduct being up for funding, although its BCR was below the threshold of 5 applicable at the time, the project was essentially about resilience, because without its construction, the Otira Gorge zigzag would be destroyed due to erosion. 

Other key points in this edition:

• Description of two new techniques to treat road surface flushing (when the surface becomes slick due to bitumen rising above the stone chips), including the use of more chips per litre of binder and the recycling of the old seal by milling it into little segments.
• Tour of the Authority of issues in Wellington, notably SH1 north of Paremata, Newlands Interchange and other prospective projects.
• Variable speed limits being investigated for SH1 Ngauranga Gorge due to accidents caused by motorists driving at 100km/h in the wrong conditions. 
• Contract has been let to build the $12m Pokeno Bypass (a key early part of the Waikato Expressway).

Connections March 1995 - Pokeno Bypass and announcement of strategy for Waikato Expressway

 

Pokeno Bypass

Pokeno Bypass

Waikato Expressway

Waikato project update

In this edition of Connections, the Hamilton regional office newsletter, the focus as in the national newsletter, is on the Pokeno Bypass, with over two pages dedicated to how the project will enable the town to be upgraded and grow.  The other key point in this issue is the strategy for a "four lane highway from Ohinewai to Cambridge" which would later be known as the Waikato Expressway (completed at the end of 2022!).  The thought at the time was to use as much existing road as possible, but that bypasses would be looked at for Ngaruawahia and Huntly.  The report noted four-laning was already underway at Tamahere between Hamilton and Cambridge, and projects south of the Bombay Hills (including the Pokeno Bypass) that extend the motorway to Mercer (because both locations were accident blackspots).  A separate strategy is being developed between Mercer and Ohinewai.  

Finally, a whole page dedicated to a long list of projects of various scale across Waikato, ranging from the three projects on SH1 between the Bombay Hills and Cambridge, along with a large number of mostly safety oriented realignment projects across the region, plus finishing the sealing of SH25 Coromandel, Fairy Springs Road 4-laning in Rotorua.  This all emphasised the focus of funding at the time on small to medium sized safety oriented projects.