Readers have a golden opportunity to have their say on the worst stretches of state highways and roads. Photo / Jenny Ling
Calling all fed-up Northland motorists, disgruntled truckies, frustrated emergency service workers, and outraged business owners - now is your chance.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has asked the Northern Advocate for a list of the worst stretches of state highways and the shoddiest roads following our campaign to highlight the issue this year.
During her visit to the Far North on July 1 to check out the Far North Solar Farm and Healthy Homes initiative with Northland MP Willow-Jean Prime, Ardern accepted not enough has been spent on road maintenance in Northland in the past.
While she couldn't comment on specific areas, she asked for a list of the worst spots which she offered to take to Transport Minister Michael Wood who would seek advice from Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency.
It's a golden opportunity for readers to have their say.
We already know about the shocking state of New Zealand's main highway through Moerewa and Turntable Hill, where there are large patches of chip seal missing, from our road trip with AA Northland District Council chairwoman Tracey Rissetto in April.
There are also bald patches and slumped, uneven and slippery surfaces around Pakaraka, Towai, Waiomio and the Maromaku turnoff, near Hūkerenui and at the intersection of State Highway 1 and SH15 between Ōkaihau and Ōhaeawai.
Readers have also told us about bad roads in Broadwood and in the Hokianga, SH12 to Dargaville, and the pothole-riddled McLean Rd in Waipū.
Northlanders have described their roads as "a disgrace, abysmal, dangerous, botched, goat tracks and third world".
You're fed up having to fork out for repairs to cracked and chipped windscreens caused by flying loose metal from roadworks.
Even truck drivers have told us how sick and tired they are with Northland's "abysmal and substandard" state highways.
Four retired roading contractors with 170 years of combined experience in the construction and maintenance of Northland's state highways have expressed grave concerns about the current condition of the region's state highways.
Whangārei friends Peter Laurent, Kevern Rogers, Gary Clemmett and Dick Thorburn believe there is a lack of maintenance work being carried out and a failure to reseal them properly.
Mangonui resident Richard Schofield was so fed up after his car was damaged on SH10, he sought $1709.25 compensation from Waka Kotahi via the Disputes Tribunal.
Springfield resident Steve Simon followed suit for two cracked windscreens he obtained driving the stretch of SH1 at Otaika near the Loop Rd intersection.
Throughout all our coverage, Waka Kotahi has defended its "robust quality assurance processes" and is confident maintenance work is being delivered to an appropriate standard.
The agency has repeatedly said $38 million was spent on repairing and resurfacing 574 lane kms of Northland state highways in the current 2018 to 2021 funding period.
Ardern said the Government was putting "record levels" of funding into local road maintenance nationally, with $4 billion spent over the past funding allocation increasing to $4.6b over the next three years.
Yet it's clear more needs to be done to make the region's roading network safe.
On Monday Ardern got a first-hand look at the state of SH1 as she travelled from Auckland to Ruakākā and then on to Kawakawa, where she took part in the blessing of a hospital upgrade.
She said progress was being made in improving the highway but conceded there was still a lot of catching up to do.
''I traversed some areas where you can see significant redevelopment. Willow-Jean [Northland MP Willow-Jean Prime] and I were talking about the fact that in some of those areas they're working on heavily swampy land so that does mean it takes a little bit of time — but you can see the changes that are being made to some of the most risk-prone infrastructure in Northland,'' she said.
''There is no question though we have needed to invest more in regional roading here, and we have done that. Just like our hospitals it has required a significant amount of catch-up after a long period of under-investment.''
The AA believes $60-70m is needed over the next three years just to clear essential maintenance work.
While Rissetto said she understands there will always be some places in need of work, "in Northland drivers are noticing more and more places where the roads are not up to standard".
However, this isn't about "picking out a few locations that are in the worst shape for a few spot fixes", she said.
"This is about the need for the Government to increase the funding available for maintenance work in Northland so that we can catch up on the work needed across the whole region and then maintain our roads at the best levels for safety and overall costs in the future.
"Motorists pay more than $4b a year to the Government through fuel tax and road user charges – an amount which has increased $400m per annum over recent years – and in return they expect the roads and highways they travel on to be well maintained."
Prime said her biggest concern is safety followed by wear and tear on people's vehicles.
"Any parts of the state highway in Northland that are unsafe need to be prioritised, whether that is safety improvements, speed or resealing or repairs."
Prime, who met with the AA to discuss their concerns earlier this year, is perplexed about the rough seal through Moerewa township to Affco, because "it wasn't long after the road was re-sealed that the problem started to occur".
Other problem areas are SH1 from Kawakawa to Whangārei, "particularly the straight before Hikurangi is very bumpy".
"It is an area that has had work on it recently but seems to have issues again.
"SH11 after Lemons Hill the seal is really patchy. The bridge between Ōhaeawai and Pakaraka southbound isn't good for the shocks.
"My hope is that we get a better understanding of what is happening in those areas; what is causing the problem, where it poses a safety risk and if so are there any plans to repair and when."
Prime said she has received about eight complaints about roads from constituents in the past year.
"Most of those are council roads – Far North and Kaipara - and the issues are potholes, dust, unsealed and unsafe."
Rissetto said Northland AA Members have rated improving the quality of the roads as the most important action they wanted from the Government.
"By taking action now, the Government will not only be improving safety for everyone using the roads but also saving itself more money in the long-term."
* Tell us what road/stretch of highway you'd like added to the list. Email jenny.ling@nzme.co.nz or reporters@northernadvocate.co.nz or comment on The Northern Advocate's Facebook page.
SH1:
Through Moerewa and Turntable Hill
Through Pakaraka
Around Towai and Waiomio
The Maromaku turnoff
South of Hūkerenui
Kawakawa to Whangārei, particularly the straight before Hikurangi
Also:
Broadwood
Intersection of SH1 and SH15 between Ōkaihau and Ōhaeawai
SH12 to Dargaville
McLean Rd in Waipū
SH11 after Lemons Hill
SH10 near Oromahoe
Along Wiroa Rd near Kerikeri
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