An $11 million boost to improve vulnerable sections of the state highway network on the West Coast has been welcomed.
The budget announcement of $11 million for immediate resilience projects is part of $100 million nationally to address known weak spots in the country’s road network.
For the West Coast, the key areas are highway entry points on the Arthur’s Pass, Haast and Buller Gorge routes.
However, there was no word on the long awaited replacement of the rickety Stoney Creek bridge at Mawheraiti, on State Highway 7.
The previous National government had announced a new bridge in its last term, but that has since slipped off the list.
In March, the New Zealand Transport Agency warned the West Coast Regional Transport Committee it expected a shift in funding towards strategic resilience following Cyclone Gabrielle.
The national investment package announced yesterday is to build road resilience, with significant upgrades for slip prevention, flood mitigation, and managing the risk of sea level rise.
As well, a $20 million transport resilience fund to help develop and fund council-led resilience projects on local roads will cover 100 "low cost" projects around the country.
West Coast-Tasman MP Damien O’Connor said the $11 million West Coast investment in resilience projects was "very welcome" in light of recent weather events.
A further $179 million package to improve resilience for more complex stretches of highway was also announced and NZTA would be consulting local communities to identify areas most at risk.
Mr O’Connor said the new transport resilience fund would support West Coast councils to develop and fund resilience upgrades on local roads.
"The fund will provide $20 million in support to projects each year. This is fantastic news for our region, this investment allows us to build back our transport network better, stronger, and more resilient," he said.
Regional Transport Committee chairman Peter Ewen welcomed the resilience projects, but said he believed the budget had "a lot of gunnas" about what might eventually happen for the region.
"It’s good to see the Kellys Creek bridge replacement, but it’s just more of the same," he said.
"You believe it when you see it — it’s an election year."
Cr Ewen noted that replacing the weight restricted Stoney Creek bridge had been promoted previously to support the resilience of the region’s economy.
But the region also had to be thankful for significant gains in the Arahura, Taramamaku and Ahaura bridge replacements over the past decade, he said.
West Coast Regional Council chairman Peter Haddock, who has been on the Regional Transport Committee for more than 15 years, said the Kellys Creek news was "out of the blue" and not signalled to the committee, but overall he was happy with the resilience announcement.
"All this funding will be really welcome, that’s for sure, but there is a lot of worry on some of our roading network with resilience.
"Maybille Bay is really a concern, the same with the slip at Knights Point — they are major issues that could stop our roading network quite quickly."
By Brendon McMahon
