Media statement | 30 June 2008

Road maintenance Land Transport NZ's focus  for Northland

More than $56 million has been allocated to fund road maintenance in Northland over the next 12 months in the 2008/09 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP),  an increase of $6.6 million from  2007/08.

Land Transport NZ today announced $2.7 billion in transport spending for New Zealand in the 2008/09 NLTP, including over $89 million for investment in Northland’s land transport system. Of the $56 million allocated for road maintenance, $27.4 million will be spent on local roads and $28.7 million on state highways.

Land Transport NZ Northern Region Partnerships Manager Peter Kippenberger says
NLTP funding has seen the successful completion of the Kerikeri heritage by-pass, shifting traffic away from a major historic site and allowing smoother traffic flows in the wider Kerikeri area. The by-pass also helps reduce the flooding risk to heritage buildings in the Kerikeri basin.

“Another key project completed in the region over the past year has been the sealing of the road to Cape Reinga, which will have significant benefits for the region’s economy and improve safety on a popular tourist route. The Heritage bypass at Kerikeri has also been opened”

A total of $642,000 has been allocated for public transport in the region in 2008/09, compared to $474,000 in 2007/08. Mr Kippenberger says bus patronage in the Whangarei district has risen from 7,000 passengers a month in 2000, to a current level of just over 20,000 passengers a month. Increasing fuel prices are expected to push passenger growth even higher.

NLTP funding has also been committed to continue projects approved in 2007/08. In the Northland region this includes construction of a roundabout at the intersection of SH1 and SH15A at One Tree Point and re-alignment work on the Wairau River S-bends on SH 12.

Other projects which may be funded during the 2008/09 year include the Porowini Avenue extension to improve traffic flow around the Whangarei central business district.

A long running and successful programme of community focused activities continues in Northland with the 2008/09 programme totalling over $755,000. This includes community coordination of $180,000 and community programmes and advertising of $576,885. Northland communities are also involved in programmes that are nationally funded and target specific issues such as alcohol and driver fatigue.

Mr Kippenberger says the activities funded through the NLTP reflect Land Transport NZ’s objective of contributing to an integrated, safe, responsive and sustainable land transport system.

Regional newsletters, a fact sheet and the NLTP book, which details all projects in the 2008/09 NLTP, will be available at www.landtransport.govt.nz/funding/nltp/2008 from 6pm today.

For more information:

Peter Kippenberger
Partnership Manager, Northern
(09) 969 9812 or 021 913 882