Louise Upston: State Highway 1 needs more than a Band-Aid

Freight, tourism and commuters compete for space on State Highway 1 at Bulli Pt, Taupō. Photo / Dan Hutchinson

OPINION

SH1 from Taupō to Tūrangi and Waiouru is one of the most expensive parts of New Zealand’s State Highway network to maintain and keep operating, especially sections like the Desert Road Curves and the Three Sisters.

It is remote. The terrain is challenging. The weather is challenging.

We have always known that, and we need to plan and build for it. Our road users need to be kept safe. They need to be able to plan their journeys with some degree of time accuracy and reliability—especially freight transporters—and they need to be able to rely on the road being open.

This is our main north-south transport artery. Locals rely on it for getting from A to B to conduct their everyday life and business; primary industries rely on it to freight their product to market; tourists in cars, buses and campervans use it; and runners and cyclists use it for training.

Up to a quarter of vehicles using the road are heavy vehicles which are more difficult to navigate through tricky terrain, but also cause more damage to the road itself.

Ideally a state highway should provide a direct and uninterrupted route for efficient travel.

When vehicles slow down or stop to take photos of the mountains, or when Te Pōporo/Bulli Point is busy with people swimming, or traffic has to slow to pass cyclists or travel through small towns and difficult terrain, the risk of accidents increases.

The idyllic Bulli Pt area is a popular place for recreation but the presence of SH1 makes water access the safest option. Photo / Dan Hutchinson

There is also a significant risk of contamination to Lake Taupō. In November, a B-train truck and trailer plunged off SH1 into the lake at Te Pōporo/Bulli Point, spilling 13 tonnes of krill oil, three tonnes of frozen meat, 300kg of milk powder, and electrical equipment into the water.

The highway was closed for 30 hours while the truck was hoisted from the water. Locals’ water use was disrupted.

The harbour master had to contain the oil spill and trace and retrieve the packets of meat. Several organisations and local residents were involved in the clean-up.

Thankfully, due to Tūwharetoa Māori Trust Board’s initiative, council had a spill response plan for this kind of emergency and contamination was minimal, but this might not always be the case. Prevention is better than cure, and redirecting SH1 away from the lake would reduce this risk in future.

Krill oil and milk powder escapes into Lake Taupō after a truck crashes off SH1 at Te Poporo / Bulli Point. Photo / Waikato Regional Council

When National was in government, it delivered the East Taupō Arterial and had rolled out several sections of SH1 upgrades through the Waikato Expressway, and was ready to start working on the Cambridge to Piarere section. The contractors were in place. They had machinery and staff.

Business cases had been prepared for the next sections – Piarere to Taupō, and Taupō to Tūrangi and south to Waiouru.

If this work had been undertaken as planned, the benefit-cost ratio would have been greater. Unfortunately, Labour has chosen not to provide the resilient infrastructure we so desperately need.

Instead, it has spent money on temporary safety improvements like median barriers and speed reduction signs. A recently announced $4 million for retaining walls north of Te Pōporo/Bulli Point is no more than a sticking plaster for a gaping wound at the centre of SH1 in the North Island.

Krill oil and milk powder can be seen in Lake Taupō after a truck crashes off SH1 at Te Poporo / Bulli Point. Photo / Waikato Regional Council

If elected in October, National will create a National Infrastructure Agency to coordinate public infrastructure investment and use innovative funding and financing tools to boost investment. We will create a 30-year infrastructure plan to give long-term certainty and reduce project costs, work in partnership with local government for regional projects, and fast-track the consents process.

Louise Upston is the MP for Taupō and her electorate includes more than 200km of State Highway 1, stretching from Cambridge to just south of Waiouru.