Roads of National Significance

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Roads of National Significance
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Formed20 March 2009 (20 March 2009)
Highway names
State HighwayState Highway X (SH X)
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Roads of National Significance (RoNS) was a name given by the 5th National Party Government, to a programme to speed up road construction in New Zealand between 2009 and 2017.

RoNS were first announced on 20 March 2009 by Transport Minister, Steven Joyce, saying they were, "singled out as essential routes that require priority treatment". [1] They were described as "routes that are critical to improving economic productivity and growth. . . The focus is on moving people and freight between and within these centres more safely and efficiently". [2] Later in 2009, Prime Minister John Key, announced $11 billion in new State Highway investment over the coming decade, saying National wants to significantly improve our road network and help unclog New Zealand's growth arteries. [3]

Between 2012 and 2015 petrol taxes and road user charges rose 9 cents a litre to pay for RoNS. [4] The proportion of the transport budget for new and improved state highways rose from 23.4% in 2009/2010, to 61.8% in 2011/2012. Funding for other transport, such as repairs and footpaths, fell by 26.1%. In 2013 that led to the Auditor General reporting a risk that prioritising RoNS created pressures on other road maintenance. [5] From 2015 [6] to 2020 average seal age rose from 6.86 to 7.96 years and average remaining seal life dropped from 2.18 to 1.23 years. [7]

Te Rehu O Waikato Bridge being completed in 2014 on the Waikato Expressway Te Rehu O Waikato Bridge.jpg
Te Rehu O Waikato Bridge being completed in 2014 on the Waikato Expressway

The seven RoNS projects were:

The effectiveness of RoNS has been queried, [8] though Christchurch's motorways were largely open by the end of September 2020. [9] Central Wellington sections were never started due to rejection of the Basin Reserve flyover by a Board of Inquiry in 2014, though $12m was spent on design and consenting. [10] RoNS have also been criticised on grounds of safety, economic growth, urban planning, congestion and emissions. [8]

There have also been defects in construction, which have required costly repairs and led to questions over how contracts were awarded. [11]

Some of the RoNS had low cost benefit ratios. [12] In a written answer in 2017, the Minister of Transport, Simon Bridges, said the Warkworth to Wellsford motorway would return a benefit of 25 cents for every dollar spent. [13]

The state of RoNS schemes is set out below –

RoNSroute chosenstartedcompletedcost $mlength km
Puhoi to Warkworth20122016202388018.5
Warkworth to Wellsford20171,90027
Western Ring Route2,40016
Waterview Tunnels201320171,7004.5
Lincoln Rd to Westgate20162019
Victoria Park tunnel200920123400.5
Waikato Expressway2,20084
Longswamp20162019966
Rangiriri201320171315
Huntly2016202045815
Ngāruawāhia20131607
Te Rapa201217210
Hamilton2016202297322
Cambridge201521816
Tauranga Eastern Link2010201545521
Wellington Northern Corridor
Otaki to Levin~2025~20301,50024
Peka Peka to Otaki2017202244513
Mackays to Peka Peka2013201763018
Transmission Gully201420221,25027
Christchurch Motorway
Christchurch Northern Corridor201620212407
Western Belfast Bypass201520171225
Russley Road20152018112
Addington to Prebbleton2010201214010.5
Prebbleton to Rolleston2016202019513

The total cost of RONS projects that are either complete, or under construction, is $9.6 billion, including Auckland's Northern Corridor project. That provides for around 250 kilometres of new or significantly upgraded roads at an average cost of around $35 million per kilometre. [10]

On 29 January 2020 Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, announced the Sixth Labour Government's $12 billion New Zealand Upgrade Programme. [14] National Party leader, Simon Bridges, claimed the coalition government had just picked up where National left off. [15] The Labour Party claims that, "National’s wish list was never funded, was never part of the Budget, and their projects failed to plan for the future. We’ve taken transport projects that were on NZTA’s plan, and they’ve been improved by including elements such as walking and cycling infrastructure, bus lanes and safety improvements". [16] NZTA give ambiguous messaging. They say that, in developing four-lane corridors, they will investigate opportunities to use two lanes for public transport services, vehicles carrying multiple people, and possibly freight and that all projects will have separate walking and cycling provision, with a focus on getting people out of cars and providing safer, more efficient travel choices, as well as extra vehicle capacity. [17] NZUP includes former RoNS plans (Whangārei to Port Marsden, Tauranga Northern Link, Te Puna to Omokoroa and Otaki to north of Levin), [18] though it also includes $1.6 billion of spending on transport alternatives. [19]

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References

  1. 1 2 "First Roads of National Significance identified". The Beehive. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  2. ↑ "GOVERNMENT POLICY STATEMENT ON LAND TRANSPORT FUNDING 2012/13–2021/22" (PDF). July 2011.
  3. ↑ "Key Notes – Happy Christmas". www.scoop.co.nz. 18 December 2009. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  4. ↑ "Govt to hike petrol taxes and road user charges 9 cents over three years to pay for 'roads of national significance'". interest.co.nz. 18 December 2012. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  5. ↑ Muhammad Imran, Christine Cheyne & John Harold (2014). "Measuring Transport Resilience – A Manawatu-Wanganui Region Case Study" (PDF). Massey University Research Online.
  6. ↑ "National pavement conditions report 2015".
  7. ↑ "National pavement condition report 2020".
  8. 1 2 "Roads of National Significance – a success? A retrospective". TraNZport. 15 September 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  9. ↑ "Southbound lanes opening – second stage this weekend". createsend.com. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  10. 1 2 "RONS Review Part 2". Greater Auckland. 24 May 2018. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  11. ↑ "Highway costing $70 million per km set to get even more expensive due to pumice". RNZ. 10 September 2020. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  12. ↑ "National wastes $1.5 billion on low value motorways". www.scoop.co.nz. 18 March 2014. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  13. ↑ "Cost of Warkworth to Wellsford motorway could double". RNZ. 8 March 2017. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  14. ↑ "The New Zealand Upgrade Programme". The Beehive. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  15. ↑ "Govt's $12b infrastructure spend: Rail, roads and DHBs the big winners". RNZ. 29 January 2020. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  16. ↑ "FAQ: Everything you need to know about the Big New Zealand Upgrade". NZ Labour Party. 29 January 2020. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  17. ↑ "Frequently asked questions | Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency". www.nzta.govt.nz. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  18. ↑ "Penlink, the Tauranga Northern Link, Otaki to Levin, Mill Road and the Skypath among transport projects to get government funding". interest.co.nz. 29 January 2020. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  19. ↑ "Julie Anne Genter: Why the 'New Zealand Upgrade' falls short". The Spinoff. 2 February 2020. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
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