Council weighs $1.6b transport plan

Work has finally begun on the major slip on State Highway 1 near Maromaku. Photo / File

The Northland Land Transport Plan has considerably fattened up the agenda for today's Northland Regional Council meeting in Kerikeri.

The Draft Regional Land Transport Plan (NLTP) 2015-2021 is a billion-dollar-plus wish list and projects document that identifies and outlines regional priorities and seeks national funding for those road and transport projects.

Northland's road controlling authorities anticipate $1,639,122,772 needs to be spent in the 10-year period from 2015/16-2024/25.

Northland authorities and the public, through the submissions process, have given high priority to the resilience of the road network; maintenance in light of increased heavy logging and other traffic; strengthening arterial routes; having Mangakahia Rd reclassified a state highway; and road safety.

As well as the task of carrying road traffic, rail or shipping transport, the plan outlines the regional network's less tangible role of enabling and enhancing economic growth and productivity.

Aligned to that role, the NLTP must ensure strategic tourist routes, for example the Twin Coast Discovery Highway, is fit for purpose. The NLTP also has build-in prospective travel choices.

One issue covered in the plan is the need for secure secondary routes, for example through Paparoa, when main arteries such as State Highway 1 are closed.

Regional land transport plans go to the New Zealand Transport Agency for consideration and reference. The agency allocates central government's road funds.

New Zealand roads are funded primarily through petrol tax, road user charges, vehicle registrations, licensing fees and government contributions.

-The $1,639,122,772 is made up from: Far North District $394,316,645; Kaipara District $171,971,950; Whangarei District $344,080,344; Northland Regional Council $26,249,168; Waitangi Treaty $478,500; NZTA $702,026,165.

-Northland is over 300km long from north to south, from Cape Reinga to Kaiwaka.

-It has 5877 km of local - district or non-highway - roads funded by ratepayers and of which only 2397km (40 per cent) are sealed.

-Of Northland's total of 6626km of roads, 749km are state highways fully funded by NZTA.