Major Marlborough Sounds road repairs, increased road maintenance and improving freight efficiencies are Council’s key focus in its Marlborough Regional Land Transport Plan (RLTP) 2024-2027.

The Regional Transport Committee met last week to approve the draft plan which is subject to final approval at Council’s next meeting on 10 April. Public consultation will open on the RLTP on 11 April at the same time as Council’s Long Term Plan and will run until 13 May at 5pm.

Mayor Nadine Taylor said the RLTP was an important document which underpins Marlborough’s road and transport planning and confirmed the region’s investment priorities on both the state highway and local roads. It is required under the Land Transport Management Act 2008 (LTMA) and is prepared by Marlborough Roads with NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) input.

“Previous RLTPs were a combined plan shared with Nelson City Council and Tasman District Council. However, due to different transport and investment priorities, Marlborough decided to undertake its own RLTP this time,” Mayor Taylor said.

“This RLTP is not surprisingly dominated by the Marlborough Sounds Future Access Study and the repairs and resilience work that this study has identified as needing to be done due to the major storm damage to our Sounds roads network. Work which is going to require significant investment over the next three years,” Mayor Taylor said.

“The RLTP also includes increased funding for maintenance to improve the overall level of service for motorists which means smoother roads, less potholes and greater safety,” she said. “The vision of this RLTP is to have a safe and connected region that is liveable, accessible and sustainable.”

The new government recently released the Draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Transport.

Regional Transport Committee Chair Councillor Scott Adams said it was good timing for Marlborough that the GPS was able to be factored into the region’s new land transport plan.

“The GPS has a much stronger focus on economic growth and productivity through delivery, sticking to core business and providing value for money. Marlborough’s priorities reflect this. With the cancellation of the iReX project, there is likely to be more trucks on the road, so we need to ensure Marlborough’s roads, particularly the vital freight route on SH1, are ready, reliable, and robust enough to cater for freight demands into the future,” Clr Adams said.

“It is hoped that the new government’s focus on economic growth and freight efficiency might even see Marlborough’s long wished for Weld Pass improvements back on the table,” he said.

Marlborough’s top four Significant Activities, those which generally have an estimated cost over $5M, were confirmed at the meeting and are as follows:

• Marlborough Sounds Future Access Study Stage 3 Repairs
• Marlborough State Highway Resilience Programme
• State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) Programme 24-27 Marlborough
• MSFAS Resilience and Marine Infrastructure Studies

In addition to the above, there are several Committed Projects which NZTA has already agreed to fund. These include routine maintenance and improvements at the Queen Charlotte Drive/Lagoon Road/Dublin and Kent Street roundabout and the Kent Street/Wairau Road intersection in Picton.

The final approved programme of work within the Marlborough RLTP will form part of the National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) which is funded by the National Land Transport Fund (NLTF). The final RLTP must be submitted to NZTA for consideration into the NLTP by 1 August.

More information will be available on Council’s website from 11 April when submissions open.

The proposed Significant Activities in the Marlborough Regional Land Transport Plan (RLTP) 2024-2027 are as follows:

© Scoop Media