Napier Regional Office
Media Release
30 June 2004

Road safety key theme in plan for HB highways

Improving road safety is the major focus of Transit New Zealand’s 10-Year State Highway Plan 2004/05-2013/14 for the Hawke’s Bay region, released today.

Transit will spend $17 million improving and maintaining state highways in Hawke’s Bay in the 2004/05 financial year, up $1.5 million on 2003/04, said Transit regional manager Neville Harkness. The total amount to be spent in the next 10 years is at least $227 million.

“Some of the projects outlined in the plan may be built faster and others added with additional funding we anticipate from a share of the regional distribution funding resulting from the Government’s December 2003 funding package, ‘Investing in Growth’ raised through an increase in petrol tax,” Mr Harkness said.

“Transit has completed a number of major improvements in Hawke’s Bay in recent years, including extending and upgrading the Hawke’s Bay Expressway. Our focus for 2004/05 and for the nine years to follow will be on improving safety at a number of locations and maintaining the highways in good condition.”

Mr Harkness said the major features of the plan for 2004/05 were the upgrade of the Meeanee Road intersection on the Hawke’s Bay Expressway and the Kiwi Valley Road Realignment on State Highway 2 south of Wairoa. Both are planned for a construction start in 2004/05.

“A realignment of SH5 at Dillons Hill, west of Eskdale, is also included in the plan, with investigation of the project committed for 2004/05 and design and construction planned for 2005/06.

“Four passing lanes are planned for construction in the next one to two years and Transit will continue to investigate more passing lanes for SH2 between Napier and Bayview, and SH2 south of Hastings.”

Transit also planned to replace the Mangahohi Bridge on SH38 in 2004/05, as it was becoming structurally unsound, he said.

The safety of pedestrian and cyclists using the Karamu Stream Bridge will be improved by the construction of a cycleway on the bridge in 2004/05. A cycleway at Bayview will also be investigated.

The sealing of SH38 to Lake Waikaremoana, an important regional project, has been included in the plan for construction in 2013/14. It is one of the projects that could be progressed earlier through regional distribution funding.

Consultation played an important role in the development of the plan within the context of the new Land Transport Management Act, which was passed in November 2003, he said. All large project proposals have been reviewed to ensure integrated solutions that fitted with Hawke’s Bay local authority plans and that the benefits of the plans were sustainable.

Major features of the 10-year plan are:

• intersection improvements on the Hawke’s Bay Expressway at:
- Meeanee Road intersection at Taradale, for construction in 2004/05
• two rural realignments at:
- SH2: Kiwi Valley Road, south of Wairoa, for construction in 2004/05
- SH5: Dillons Hill Realignment, west of Eskdale, for construction in 2005/06
• replacement of the Mangahohi Bridge on SH38, for construction in 2004/05
• four more passing lanes on SH2 between Napier and Hastings, and south of Hastings, for construction in the next one to two years
• a cycleway on the Karamu Stream Bridge on SH2.

For further information go to: www.transit.govt.nz
Detailed maps and timing of projects are listed by region.

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