Our investment to maintain 11,052kms of state highway network will increase to $2.8 billion over the next three years, including an estimated $240 million for emergency works. This is a 30% increase on the 2018–21 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP).
At a value of $52 billion, the state highway network is New Zealand’s largest value social asset and is of critical importance to the country’s economic and social wellbeing, connecting people and places and efficiently moving freight to markets.
Population growth and increasing traffic volumes, including for freight is resulting in greater wear and tear to road surfaces and pavements.
We’ve prioritised our discretionary funding for maintenance to help keep our roads safe and support the transport system to be resilient. Our focus is on high priority maintenance and renewal work on high volume, more vulnerable state highways and tunnels across New Zealand. There is an increased focus on pavement and structure renewals, combined with changes in road treatment options. This will increase resurfacing work which will help retain asset condition and safety across the network.
More intense and frequent weather events, coupled with climate change disruption, will continue to compromise the resilience of the state highway network. This NLTP we will invest in resilience work and climate change adaptation including a number of preventions for slips and rock-falls in areas prone to road closures.
