The most anticipated roading project in Hawke’s Bay now has a funding figure next to it, with $100 million committed by the Government to start four-laning the Hawke’s Bay Expressway.
Four-laning Hawke’s Bay Expressway gets $100m in Government funding; Wairoa mayor says Waikare Gorge should have been first
Napier MP Katie Nimon (left) and Tukituki MP Catherine Wedd next to the Hawke's Bay Expressway, which currently has two lanes (one northbound and one southbound).
There is no timeframe for when stage one will be completed.
The expressway is the main connector between Napier and Hastings which is part of State Highway 2 and often becomes congested at peak times.
It is unclear exactly how two overbridges and a bridge over the Tūtaekurī River will be made into four lanes as part of stage one.
Nimon said it was “likely” additional bridges would be built for northbound traffic at those sites, although it was early in the process and that was speculative at this stage.
NZTA stated design decisions, including for bridges on the expressway, would be confirmed between late 2024 and early 2025.
Transport Minister Simeon Brown said the 6km stage-one upgrade would reduce travel times for motorists and freight on “the most congested section of the expressway”.
“Over the next three years, planning, design, and construction will start on the first stage of the Hawke’s Bay Expressway, between Taradale Rd and Pākowhai/Links Rd.”
There is a possibility the four-lane expressway could be tolled in future and it has been deemed a road of national significance.
The $657m in funding over the next three years for Hawke’s Bay includes $246m for improvements, $154m for maintenance, $216m to fix potholes and $32m for public transport, among other investments.
Waikare Gorge realignment project
NZTA’s transport plan for 2024-27 does not include funding to construct the Waikare Gorge realignment project.
A resource consent has been lodged for that proposal for a new 4km road and 160m bridge to be built along SH2 Napier to Wairoa Rd, to bypass the current Waikare Gorge bailey bridge.
The transport plan noted funding had been “indicated” for property purchase related to that realignment project but not for construction.
“While it is not funded for the next three-year cycle, it is not off the table,” Nimon said.
She said the transport plan was not proposing a different option, which was good in the sense it did not take the realignment project off the table, but meant it could be funded after the current three-year cycle.
Wairoa Mayor Craig Little said it was a “shocker” the expressway was moving ahead before that realignment project, which in his opinion should be done first.
“I understand that finances are short, but the biggest concern is that State Highway 2 doesn’t just affect Wairoa, it affects Tairāwhiti, and the big picture is: We need to be looking at the cost for the country if we don’t do it.”
He said many people did not want to travel that state highway as it was “a notorious road now” and “is horrible to travel”.
He said “we need more urgency” for the Waikare Gorge realignment project in particular.
“The question is - if that Bailey bridge washes away in the next storm event, we will be out for another three months,” he said.
“We have no alternative [route]. More than likely the place that will blow out is in the gorge, so every time it rains, we think, ‘What is it going to cost us now?’”
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.