$405m to unlock Auckland's gridlock

By MATHEW DEARNALEY

Building blocks are being rolled into place for an Auckland transport construction boom this summer, with the Government lifting by 23 per cent its fighting fund against regional gridlock.

Funding agency Transfund is granting Auckland $405 million - or 28.5 per cent - of a national land transport programme of $1.42 billion for the financial year starting today.

All regions, right across to the Chatham Islands, gain from a 19.3 per cent national increase in transport spending.

The largest proportional boost is to the Taranaki and Manawatu-Wanganui region, for which spending is being almost doubled to $123 million to help it to recover from the February floods.

Other big winners are the Bay of Plenty, with a 45 per cent increase to $67.8 million to battle its congestion woes, and the Waikato, where $137.8 million will include continuing work on widening State Highway 1 to four lanes south of Mercer.

Included in Auckland's share is $196.5 million for new highways and roads, a 27 per cent jump from last year.

This will allow work to start this summer on at least four big projects - extensions to the Southwestern Motorway through Mt Roskill and Manukau, the northern busway, and a new arterial route from East Tamaki to the Southern Motorway, subject to approval next month.

Transfund has also agreed in principle to a Northern Motorway extension from Orewa to Puhoi to start over summer if Transit NZ can gain an order-in-council after public consultation to use tolls to pay for about $145 million of the $300 million job.

These projects are on top of $321 million of roadworks already started on Auckland's central motorway junction and motorway links across the Upper Waitemata Harbour.

Auckland public transport will also gain $73.3 million from Transfund, a 22 per cent increase and well over double the allocation of two years ago. This does not include $18 million that the agency will spend as this year's instalment on a $61 million refurbishment of passenger trains.

Transfund chairwoman Dr Jan Wright said the region was likely to receive more money during the year, depending on suitable funding applications, as her agency would stay focused on reducing Auckland's congestion.

Auckland and other parts of the country have yet to be allocated money from new regional funding that will become available from next April in a $2.8 billion net boost over 10 years, largely from petrol taxes and road user charges.

Transport Minister Pete Hodgson pointed to an $18.7 billion 10-year spending forecast by Transfund, which is almost $6 billion more than the agency estimated 12 months ago.

Transit will receive at least $8.6 billion, and has asked for a $1.5 billion share of the regional funding, but Mr Hodgson emphasised that public transport, cycling and walking facilities were vital to the mix.

Calling Auckland's congestion far worse than that of most similar-sized cities around the world, he said there was no single solution.

"We will never motorway our way out of this problem - it has to be roads plus other stuff."