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Napier MP Katie Nimon says a major project to turn the two-lane Hawke’s Bay Expressway into four lanes will definitely begin this election term, and could see new bridges built for northbound traffic.
In March, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced 15 projects had been included under the roads of national significance programme.
Nimon, speaking to Hawke’s Bay Today on Monday during the official opening of her electorate office on Carlyle Street, said the project was making progress now it had been named a road of national significance.
“The transport minister has set his expectation, in the government policy statement for transport, that it will be done in this term which is really exciting.”
Nimon, a first-time National MP, said the project would “definitely be started” by the next election in 2026.
However, she said it was difficult to say whether it could be completed by then.
Nimon said it was yet to be decided how the project would be completed in terms of stages, which would be an “operational decision”.
“The intention from us, in the very first instance, is for it to be from Pākōwhai/Links Road [roundabout] to the Meeanee Rd off-ramp.
The Hawke's Bay Expressway is the main route between Napier and Hastings. Photo / Duncan Brown
“At the very least doing that to begin with and then the intention in the long-term is to go from Pakipaki to the airport, four-laning the whole way.
“[The need to upgrade the expressway] is a productivity issue and a road safety issue, so it is a really high priority for us.”
Nimon said the plans could potentially see new bridges built for northbound traffic and existing bridges kept for southbound traffic on the expressway.
She said public confirmation of next steps would be made in July or August, including “an indication that it has a dollar figure beside it”.
“From there, Waka Kotahi [NZ Transport Agency] will do their business case for it and then the spade will go into the ground.
Napier MP Katie Nimon during an official opening of her new electorate office. Photo / Warren Buckland
“The great thing for us is [NZTA] already owns the corridor and a lot of that planning has already been done.”
Nimon was a former transport manager for Hawke’s Bay Regional Council before becoming an MP.
Four-laning the expressway has been an issue since it opened 20 years ago, a problem which was compounded in February last year when Cyclone Gabrielle wiped out bridges on other routes between Napier and Hastings.
According to an NZTA report released on Friday, the proposed Hawke’s Bay Expressway project could take up to 10 years to complete and construction is expected to begin by 2027.
The expressway project has been listed under a cost bracket of $250 million to $1 billion.
That report is called the State Highway Investment Proposal 2024-2034.
Brown said the expressway project was “a priority” but he would not confirm whether construction would definitely begin this election term.
“NZTA will have more to say about the scheduling of planning and construction once they finalise the National Land Transport Programme.”
The 15 roads of national significance are included in the 2024 draft government policy statement on land transport, which sets out plans for billions of dollars to be spent on such projects. That final document will be released in July.
Nimon’s electorate office is at the corner of Carlyle St and Tennyson St at the former home of Antonio’s Pizza.
Nimon said she decided not to take former Napier MP Stuart Nash’s electorate office, as it did not have wheelchair accessibility.
Gary Hamilton-Irvine is a Hawke’s Bay-based reporter who covers a range of news topics including business, councils, breaking news and cyclone recovery. He formerly worked at News Corp Australia.
