Region's highway stance vindicated

Good progress on two of Taranaki’s top-ranked highway projects looks likely in the next  three years, without the region having to choose between one or the other.

Taranaki’s insistence on equal ranking for the New Plymouth northern outlet and the Normanby overbridge was today supported by the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA). The agency had previously insisted that the region must indicate which is most important.

Taranaki’s Regional Transport Committee has reaffirmed equal ranking for both projects in its draft Regional Land Transport Programme for 2012/2015, after the agency said it is happy to review the scope of both projects to maximize the benefits at both sites  within funding constraints.

The agency says it intends to:

• Review its design for the Normanby overpass to see if the same safety benefits can be achieved at a lesser cost.

• Flesh out plans and costings for improvements to New Plymouth’s northern outlet between Vickers Road and the central city (known as “Vickers to city”). Plans are currently only at conceptual stage.

 

“This vindicates the region’s united stance in insisting on equal ranking for both projects, despite pressure to choose one over the other,” says the Committee’s Chairman, Taranaki Regional Councillor Roger Maxwell.

“It’s always been our view that both projects are needed and they stack up well on cost-benefit ratios. They both deserve to be progressed and we’re gratified that the NZTA accepts there is scope to do this.”

The Committee today heard a number of submissions on its Draft Regional Land Transport Programme, whose priority list also includes passing lanes at Mokau, and a heavy vehicle route from South Taranaki to Port Taranaki.

A finalised programme will be formally adopted in June, to be forwarded to the NZTA in Wellington for moderation and compilation into a national three-year programme.

The Regional Transport Committee has members from the Taranaki Regional Council and the region’s three District Councils, the New Zealand Transport Agency and a number of stakeholder groups. It is administered by the Taranaki Regional Council.