Links to other regions are crucial to the economy of the West Coast region. Closures of these routes can cause major delays for locals, tourists and freight traffic, which can have significant negative effects on the region’s economy. The reliability, capacity, safety and security of the routes on which the region depends is therefore a major focus of this NLTP, which allocates funding to maintain the region’s local and state highway networks to support economic growth in our region.
| West Coast region | New Zealand | Region as % of NZ |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 32,400 | 4,268,500 | 1 |
| Land area (km2) | 23,300 | 275,400 | 8 |
| Imports (gross tonne)1, 2 | 800,000 | 79,200,000 | 1 |
| Exports (gross tonne)1, 2 | 2.6 million | 73.4 million | 4 |
| Gross domestic product (GDP) ($) | 1200 million | 155,400 million | 1 |
| Passenger transport - bus - boardings | 45,800 | 92,777,200 | 0 |
| Passenger transport - rail - boardings | - | 18,346,600 | - |
| Passenger transport - ferry - boardings | - | 4,695,000 | - |
| Vehicle kilometres travelled | 500 million | 40,200 million | 1 |
| Fatalities3 | 4 | 366 | 2 |
| Serious injuries3 | 19 | 2553 | 2 |
| Local roads - urban all (km) | 286 | 17,298 | 2 |
| Local roads - urban sealed (km) | 263 | 16,956 | 2 |
| Local roads - rural all (km) | 1611 | 65,601 | 2 |
| Local roads - rural sealed (km) | 790 | 33,698 | 2 |
| State highways - all (km) | 872 | 10,906 | 8 |
| State highways - sealed (km) | 872 | 10,850 | 8 |
| State highways - motorway (km) | - | 172 | - |
Notes:
One of the high-priority projects in the West Coast region is the Arahura Bridge replacement on SH6 near Hokitika, which replaces an historic bridge on a route that is vital to the region's economy.
Other major safety projects likely to start in the next three years are:
Major local road projects include upgrading Atarau Road and replacing the Rough River Bridge on this road to provide for coal transport from the Pike River mine. Coal is one of the major contributors to the West Coast region's prosperity.
| West Coast | 2009/12 | % of total |
|---|---|---|
| Walking and cycling | 1.0 | 0.9% |
| Transport planning | 1.3 | 1.2% |
| Public transport improvements | - | 0.0% |
| New & improved infrastructure for state highways | 19.0 | 17.1% |
| New & improved infrastructure for local roads | 6.7 | 6.1% |
| Public transport services | 0.2 | 0.2% |
| Maintenance of state highways | 41.5 | 37.5% |
| Renewal of state highways | 16.3 | 14.7% |
| Maintenance of local roads | 13.3 | 12.0% |
| Renewal of local roads | 11.1 | 10.0% |
| Demand management & community programmes | 0.3 | 0.2% |
| 110.8 | 100% |
Note: includes R funds of $10m
This NLTP allocates approximately $57.8 million to maintaining the highways that are so important to the West Coast economy.
This funding will also support a number of other activities, which include installing electronic variable message signs at critical points on the network. These will improve safety and the availability of road condition information to road users, and add to those already established on SH7 (at Lewis Pass and Rahu Saddle) and SH73 (Arthur's and Porters Passes). Signs will also be operating soon on the popular SH6 tourist route between Hokitika and Haast.
Other initiatives include:
The state highway network plays a vital role in connecting all parts of the West Coast, providing links to adjoining regions and supporting coal, freight, dairy and tourism activities in the region.
This NLTP allocates $19 million to improvements on West Coast state highways. Key projects include the Arahura Bridge replacement, while those that focus on critical route safety and security likely to receive funding include:
As with the region's state highways, local roads on the West Coast are feeling the pressure from a significant increase in heavy motor vehicle traffic, much of it generated by dairying sector growth and coal mine developments.
This NLTP allocates $24.4 million to maintaining West Coast local roads. It includes reconstruction, resealing and minor safety work, which will help make the region's local roads safer, more efficient and able to make a greater contribution to the region's economy. 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 $6.7 million to West Coast local road improvements. Most projects provide for transporting the coal that is so important to the local economy, including that extracted from the newly developed Pike River mine. The projects likely to receive funding include:
The NLTP allocates $200,000 to public transport on the West Coast in 2009-2012.
This covers the cost of providing total mobility and other public transport services, enabling transport choice for those with limited access to cars or who are vulnerable to fuel price increases.
The NLTP allocates $1.0 million to walking and cycling projects on the West Coast.
As part of implementing the West Coast Walking and Cycling Strategy, a number of projects planned for the next three years will make walking and cycling safer and more attractive travel options. Among these is the construction of new paths into the Fox and Franz Josef glaciers.
National Land Transport Fund funding for New Zealand Police road policing activities in the West Coast region totals $3.762 million for the 2009/10 year. This includes $3.080 million for strategic policing of the 'fatal five' road safety issues: speeding, drink/drugged driving, restraints, dangerous/careless driving and high-risk drivers. It also contributes to funding vehicles and equipment, communications, accommodation and other costs.
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 annually on the site once they have been approved by the Minister of Transport.
Post 2012/13, the main project planned in the West Coast region is the replacement of the Gates of Haast Bridge on SH6, a major tourist route linking Otago and the West Coast region. The new bridge will improve the safety and reliability of this route, which carries many of the tourists and freight that are important to the region's prosperity.
A planned project that, while located in Canterbury, is of major significance to the West Coast is the upgrade and realignment of SH73 from Mingha Bluff to Arthur's Pass. The West Coast region may provide funding assistance to Canterbury for this project. Once completed, it should result in a safer and more reliable route that will benefit the economies of both the Canterbury and West Coast regions.
Last updated: 6 October 2009
