The New Zealand Government is progressing plans for the first seven of 17 identified Roads of National Significance (RoNS), with user tolls suggested as an option to fund the scheme.
Greenlighting the initiative in July, Transport Minister Simeon Brown said Waka Kotaki NZ Transport Agency was expected to begin procurement, enabling works and construction on the seven projects over the next three years.
Brown said the projects would support economic growth and “get people and freight to where they want to go, quickly and safely”.
“NZTA has now appointed project teams to accelerate consenting, property acquisition, and design,” he said.
“They are engaging construction partners to progress the first phase of seven Roads of National Significance projects, with an aim to begin procurement, enabling works and construction in the next three years.”
The NZ Government is prioritising 17 Roads of National Significance which were highlighted in the recent Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS).
Brown said that while the work on the first seven would commence now, planning for the remaining eight roads would being in the next three years.
Road tolling has been suggested as the most sustainable way of funding the road program, and this has been endorsed by industry body Infrastructure New Zealand.
Nick Leggett, the chief executive of Infrastructure New Zealand, said “tolling is the way to go to help deliver these new highway projects”.
“Safe and efficient four-lane and grade-separated highways are not cheap, yet they are a critical piece of the puzzle when it comes to improving New Zealand’s land transport network,” Leggett said.
“The reality is if we want modern first-world infrastructure then that will need to come through greater use of user-charging mechanisms such as tolling”.
Infrastructure New Zealand recognises that direct user-charging does spark public debate, yet tolling is used extensively and successfully to deliver and preserve major roading projects overseas.
“We cannot kick the can down the road any longer”, says Leggett.
“New Zealand has a significant infrastructure deficit that is not only affecting our economic productivity but is also impacting our social and environmental outcomes.
“The use of alternative funding and financing methods, such as user-charging and the increased use of private capital, will be critical if New Zealand is to meet our infrastructure challenges during this period of significant fiscal constraint”.