Regional Land Transport Programme approved

For immediate release: 24 June 2009

Environment Bay of Plenty today approved the Regional Land Transport Programme, which prioritises the region’s key transport projects.

The list of priorities will now be sent to the New Zealand Transport Agency to consider against other regional council’s programmes before it publishes the national programme of priorities in September this year. In turn the national programme is used to allocate national funding

Regional Transport Committee Chairperson Jane Nees said the top priorities were about maintenance and safety of existing state highways and large projects already planned or underway.

Cr Nees said the programme was about more than just funding for roads.

“These priorities reflect a primary focus on those projects that will contribute most to economic growth and productivity in the region,” she said.

The top ten priorities for the next three years are:
Maintenance and safety; renewals; minor safety improvements; and safety retrofits of existing state highways
Harbour Link
Tauranga Eastern Motorway
Rotorua Eastern Arterial
Tauranga Northern Arterial
Hairini Link (renamed Tauranga Central Corridor) (new to the top 10)
Improved public transport.

One new project has been added to the priority list – a feasibility study for a bypass around Tauriko township.

The draft and final programme was developed by the Regional Transport Committee, made up of representatives from Environment Bay of Plenty, district and city councils, NZTA and other stakeholder groups.

A copy of the Regional Land Transport Programme is now available from Environment Bay of Plenty.

ENDS

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