Canterbury receives ‘paltry amount’ of national road funding – Waimakariri mayor

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from Northern Outlook

By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter

Canterbury receives a "paltry amount" of national road funding, Waimakariri mayor Dan Gordon says.

In a submission on the Government's national roading priorities, Gordon said the Woodend Bypass and Ashburton State Highway 1 bridge were the only significant Canterbury projects in the mix.

"The Ashburton bridge and the Woodend Bypass are important for the entirety of Canterbury and for the country," Gordon said.

"We need to advocate strongly for Canterbury. What we receive in Canterbury is a paltry amount compared to the overall funding for roading."

He said maintenance funding and subsidies needed to be at a level that allowed councils to keep roading networks up to speed.

"When we get behind it is very hard to catch up, so it is something we prioritise here."

In the submission on the draft Government Policy Statement on land transport, the Waimakariri District Council supported its "general direction", but said it would like more Canterbury projects in the mix.

The policy statement, released by Transport Minister David Parker in August, sets the Government’s priorities for future land transport investment.

The inclusion of the proposed Woodend Bypass in the plan saw it move into the top three projects in the draft Canterbury Regional Land Transport Plan 2024-34. This guides land transport planning within the region.

The other significant Canterbury project brought forward was the Ashburton State Highway 1 bridge.

In the submission, Gordon welcomed plans to widen the Ashley River Bridge as part of the Woodend Bypass project.

"We hope this will allow for cycling and walking."

However, he called for an underpass to be constructed near the Pegasus/Ravenswood roundabout to improve cycle and walking access across SH1.

Gordon also wanted the immediate purchase of land required for the Woodend Bypass to give property owners some certainty.

He also called for other Waimakariri projects to be given great priority, including the proposed Skew bridge upgrade (west Kaiapoi), Lineside Rd safety improvements, the Rangiora western link, the proposed Rangiora eastern link road and transportation infrastructure to support the development of Māori Reserve 873.

He also advocated the call from Greater Christchurch Partnership’s (a coalition of local government, mana whenua and government agencies) for more funding for public transport and infrastructure enhancements.

Other Canterbury projects in the GPS included funding for public transport, Rolleston upgrades, Brougham St safety improvements, increased public transport capacity on Halswell Rd, rural intersection safety improvements, and SH1 resilience in Timaru.

For now the Rangiora western link, eastern link road and Skew bridge projects sit at numbers 20, 24 and 25 in the draft Canterbury Regional Land Transport Plan 2024/34.

The Greater Christchurch Partnership’s public transport initiatives is in the top four, along with the Conway River bridge replacement in the Hurunui district.

"The benefit of the regional approach is that councils work together effectively to advocate for regionally significant and nationally significant projects," Gordon said.

■ Public interest journalism funded through New Zealand on Air.