Maintaining state highways and local roads will be a top priority for the Otago region in the next 10 years, to ensure existing capacity enables economic growth and productivity in the region. By protecting and maintaining the land transport network, so it’s safer, more reliable and efficient, without the need for expensive new infrastructure, we’ll help to enable growth in the region’s economy.
| Otago region | New Zealand | Region as % of NZ |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 205,200 | 4,268,500 | 5 |
| Land area (km2) | 32,000 | 275,400 | 12 |
| Imports (gross tonne)1, 2 | 3.3 million | 79.2 million | 4 |
| Exports (gross tonne)1, 2 | 2.4 million | 73.4 million | 3 |
| Gross domestic product (GDP) ($) | 6200 million | 155,400 million | 4 |
| Passenger transport - bus - boardings | 1,437,300 | 92,777,200 | 2 |
| Passenger transport - rail - boardings | - | 18,346,600 | - |
| Passenger transport - ferry - boardings | - | 4,695,000 | - |
| Vehicle kilometres travelled | 2200 million | 40,200 million | 5 |
| Fatalities3 | 14 | 366 | 6 |
| Serious injuries3 | 109 | 2553 | 7 |
| Local roads - urban all (km) | 1332 | 17,298 | 8 |
| Local roads - urban sealed (km) | 1243 | 16,956 | 7 |
| Local roads - rural all (km) | 7928 | 65,601 | 12 |
| Local roads - rural sealed (km) | 2395 | 33,698 | 7 |
| State highways - all (km) | 1304 | 10,906 | 12 |
| State highways - sealed (km) | 1304 | 10,850 | 12 |
| State highways - motorway (km) | 28 | 172 | 16 |
Notes:
Work on the SH1 Caversham corridor is one of the key investment priorities of this NLTP. The project will significantly ease traffic congestion at peak times.
The Fredrick Street to SH88 realignment project will be completed within the next two years to ensure smoother traffic flows on this section of highway, as well as on roads near the University of Otago and the new Otago Stadium. In the same period, the implementation of the Wakatipu Transportation Strategy will see further development of bus services in the Wakatipu Basin, which will also involve bus priority measures along SH6A between Frankton and Queenstown to reduce traffic congestion.
| Otago | 2009/12 | % of total |
|---|---|---|
| Walking and cycling | 10.3 | 3.5% |
| Transport planning | 3.6 | 1.2% |
| Public transport improvements | 2.8 | 0.9% |
| New & improved infrastructure for state highways | 42.0 | 14.3% |
| New &improved infrastructure for local roads | 21.3 | 7.2% |
| Public transport services | 11.6 | 3.9% |
| Maintenance of state highways | 47.9 | 16.2% |
| Renewal of state highways | 39.0 | 13.2% |
| Maintenance of local roads | 44.0 | 14.9% |
| Renewal of local roads | 69.2 | 23.5% |
| Demand management & community programmes | 3.3 | 1.1% |
| 294.8 | 100% |
Note: includes R funds of $45m
Regular, well-targeted maintenance is essential to ensuring a safe, efficient and reliable state highway network that contributes to economic growth in the Otago region. It helps to deliver maximum value for money from the investments already made in these roads.
This NLTP allocates $86.8 million to maintaining Otago's state highways. This will fund resurfacing work on about 130 kilometres of the state highway network, and ongoing work to prevent rock falls and major slips and ensure route security and safety, including at Nevis Bluff on SH8.
There are plans to install variable message signs on SH87 ( Outram, Middlemarch and Kyeburn), SH85 (Palmerston) and SH6 (Hawea) in the next three years to give road users the latest information on road conditions.
The NLTP allocates $42.0 million to improvements on the Otago state highway network.
Work on improving the SH1 Caversham corridor is likely to start within the next three years. Once completed, traffic congestion on this section of SH1 during peak hours should ease considerably.
The NLTP also identifies a number of activities that are likely to be funded to improve safety, route efficiency and route security on the network. Those aimed at reducing the risk and number of fatal and serious injuries, and reducing congestion, in the next three years include:
Between now and 2012, more passing lanes are likely to be built to make the region's state highway network safer and more efficient. These include a new passing lane on SH1 between Balclutha and Clinton.
In addition, funding has been committed to several state highway improvement projects from 2008/09. Projects that will improve safety and help reduce travel times include:
Otago's extensive local road network makes an important contribution to the region's prosperity, especially in linking many smaller rural communities.
Local road maintenance funding of $113.2 million will help make the region's local roads safer and more efficient through resealing and minor safety work, such as fitting safety barriers in areas with high crash risks. The NZTA has approved a three-year allocation and expects organisations to manage the required maintenance, operations and renewal programmes including any changes in costs within that allocation.
The NLTP allocates $21.3 million to local road improvements in Otago. This will go towards the design and renewal of the Brighton Road Bridge near Waldronville, south of Dunedin, which should improve safety on this main route linking Brighton and Dunedin.
There has been a substantial increase in funding for public transport services nationally across 2009-12 with an increase of 30% to $630 million compared with the previous three years.
Although there has been a significant increase in funding, there is an expectation that every regional authority will manage their public transport programmes efficiently and effectively within the funding allocations provided to ensure that these are delivering value for money. A challenge is to improve the effectiveness of public transport networks by extracting the maximum value from past and current investments. The NZTA is developing a national framework for a fare box policy that will assist regional authorities as part of this process.
The block funding approach to public transport programmes will provide regional authorities with the flexibility to reassign funding to cover variability in the delivery of programme activities, provided the total expenditure stays within the overall allocation.
This NLTP allocates $11.6 million to public transport services in Otago.
This will go towards encouraging drivers to use public transport in Dunedin, with the aim of reducing the number of vehicles on key city roads at peak times. This in turn will:
The Otago Regional Council, working together with Queenstown Lakes District Council, is looking to introduce extended feeder bus services in and around Queenstown and supporting communities. In combination to this, to integrate with existing services, integrated ticketing and electronic displays are proposed as part of a package of measures proposed. This application forms part of an overarching strategy of transportation improvements already endorsed by the NZTA.
We consider these initiatives could assist economic growth and relieve growing congestion in the area. A funding decision for these initiatives depends on how they align with the NZTA's priorities at the time it seeks Category 1 approval. Other factors will be taken into account in this process including procurement.
Making walking and cycling safe travel options is an integral part of the development process for all projects on Otago's state highway network.
The $10.3 million allocated over three years to this activity class will see the extension of cycling and pedestrian facilities along SH88 between Dunedin and Port Chalmers.
National Land Transport Fund funding for New Zealand Police road policing activities in the Otago region totals $13.613 million for 2009/10. This includes:
The funding also meets all the costs involved in road policing, including vehicles and equipment, communications and accommodation.
The detailed 2009/10 Road Policing Programme can be viewed on the New Zealand Police website at www.police.govt.nz/service/road(external link). The programmes for 2010/11 and 2011/12 will be published on the site once they have been approved by the Minister of Transport.
Work may start some time beyond 2014 on:
Last updated: 6 October 2009
