Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency has today announced $751 million of investment in Northland’s land transport network over the next three years to improve safety, keep communities connected and support economic opportunities.

The investment in Northland is part of a $24.3 billion programme of investment planned for New Zealand’s land transport system over the next three years, detailed in Ngā Kaupapa Huarahi o Aotearoa | 2021-24 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP), published today by Waka Kotahi.

“Our investment in Northland through the NLTP will help create a land transport system that gives Northlanders better access to employment and education opportunities, supports the safe and reliable movement of freight and strengthens the resilience of important corridors to keep communities connected,” says Steve Mutton, Waka Kotahi Director Regional Relationships for Auckland and Northland.

Improving people’s safety is a top priority for Waka Kotahi and we’ll be investing more than $100 million in Northland over the next three years to help reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on the region’s roads.

“This includes adding median barriers and other safety improvements in key locations and reviewing speed limits across a number of corridors, including along 80kms of SH1 from Whangarei to Wellsford, which is a high-risk rural road,” Mr Mutton says.

Work will be completed this NLTP on replacing the one-lane Kaeo Bridge with a new two-lane bridge that will make journeys safer and improve economic outcomes for communities in the Kaeo area.

“Walking and cycling infrastructure in the region will also be developed further with $36 million of investment to encourage people to use active, healthy low carbon travel options. With investments through the NLTP over the next three years we’ll extend shared paths in Whangārei delivering new sections of the Kamo and Tikipunga routes. A new Mangawhai Shared Path in Kaipara will make it safer to walk or ride along busy Molesworth Drive,” Mr Mutton says.

“Work to support safe and efficient freight movements to and from the port at Marsden and to Auckland will also continue, with Northland’s economy reliant on dairy, forestry, farming and horticulture. Through this NLTP we’ll fund a 19km rail link to Marsden Point and upgrade the line between Whangārei and Otira to handle heavier trains.”

Across the region, $344 million will be spent on maintenance and operation of local roads and state highways to support freight and tourism connections.

Full details of the investments being made through the National Land Transport Programme, including detailed regional breakdowns, can be found at www.nzta.govt.nz/nltp

Editors’ notes:

• The 2021-24 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) is a partnership between local government, which invests local funding on behalf of ratepayers, and Waka Kotahi, which invests national funding on behalf of Government through the National Land Transport Fund (NLTF). Funds for the NLTF are collected from petrol excise, road user charges and vehicle registration and licensing fees.
• The $24.3 billion 2021-24 NLTP includes $15.6 billion from the NLTF and $4.6 billion from local government. Government will also invest $3.8 million in additional Crown funding to deliver specific programmes through the NLTP.
• NLTP investments are designed to give effect to the strategic priorities outlined in the Government Policy Statement for land transport (GPS).
• Demand for funding for the 2021-24 NLTP period has been higher than ever before and the Government has provided additional financing of $2 billion that will enable Waka Kotahi to deliver more for New Zealand with its co-investment partners.

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