The Government’s Roads of National Significance (RoNS) programme is moving into the next phase of its development, but Transporting NZ wants bipartisan commitment to avoid future speed bumps.
Combined funding of nearly $1.2 billion will advance key projects across the country.
“The Government is committed to building a long-term pipeline of transport infrastructure investments to redress New Zealand’s infrastructure deficit and build jobs and growth for Kiwis,” Transport Minister Chris Bishop says.
“Our Roads of National Significance (RoNS) programme is a vital part of this pipeline, and I’m pleased to see good progress on getting these important projects ready for delivery.”
The National Road Carriers Association (NRC) was pleased to see progress in the space.
“All of these projects are much-needed improvements that will deliver safety, resilience and productivity to the roading network,” says NRC GM Policy and Advocacy James Smith.
“Many have been on the drawing boards in various states for decades, so this meaningful progress is worthy of celebration.
“Construction will bring much-needed work for the civil construction sector that has been through a fairly bleak few years.”
Transporting NZ welcomes the progress but calls for commitment across party lines, which they say is needed to avoid the risk of costly cancellations and further disruptions to the progress of the projects identified in the National Land Transport Programme 2024-2027.
“When people and freight are moving efficiently, that’s good news for the entire country. You can see this in the close correlation between heavy traffic movement and GDP growth,” Transporting NZ chief executive Dom Kalasih says.
He says that improved roading connections were good news for safety, productivity, and economic growth. Still, heading into an election year, he calls upon all political parties to support the infrastructure pipeline.
“These are not projects that can be delivered within a couple of election cycles,” he says. “They require consistency across successive governments if they are to be delivered affordably and without delay.
“A politically-driven cancellation or winding-back of this infrastructure programme would be a nightmare for road users, local communities, and the national economy.”
Kalisah remains optimistic that there will be bipartisan buy-in for an infrastructure pledge.
“Senior government ministers have highlighted the value of bipartisan commitments, and opposition spokespeople have indicated they don’t want to see projects cancelled.”
Transporting New Zealand proposes five bipartisan transport pledges: to support the infrastructure pipeline, including RoNS and RONS projects; to prioritise road maintenance and economic growth; to back low-emission, high-productivity vehicles; to implement road revenue reform with full Road User Charges by 2027; and to promote sustainable funding through tolling and public-private partnerships.
The NZTA Board has now endorsed investment cases for all RoNS projects, including Sections 2 and 3 of the Northland Expressway, the East West Link, Hamilton Southern Links, Petone to Grenada and Cross Valley Link, SH1 Wellington Improvements (including a new Mt Victoria Tunnel), and the Hope Bypass.
More than $675 million has been approved to progress consenting, design, route protection, site investigations, and early works, while over $515 million from existing RoNS property funding will enable local property acquisition.
“The Government is committed to delivering a strong and consistent pipeline of projects to support jobs and growth across New Zealand. I look forward to seeing further progress on these critical projects in the months and years ahead.”
Construction on some RoNS projects is already underway, including the Takitimu North Link Stage 1, SH29 Tauriko West (Omanawa Bridge replacement), and Otaki to north of Levin. Procurement and early works are progressing on others, with detailed design, consents, and Fast-track Approvals Act (FTAA) applications being prepared for multiple corridors.
Visit https://nzta.govt.nz/planning-and-investment/roads-of-national-significance for more.
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