Local roads well-funded and of a high standard

Transport Minister Gerry Brownlee says claims from opposition MPs and roading lobbyists that the government is neglecting local roads at the expense of the seven Roads of National Significance are not supported by the facts.

“Local roads receive almost as much funding as the state highways which are so important to delivering greater economic outcomes for New Zealanders,” Mr Brownlee says.

“The overall standard of local roads in New Zealand is generally very high after a decade of sustained and significant investment.

“While 29 per cent of investment from the National Land Transport Programme over the next three years will be spent on new and improved infrastructure on the state highway network, including the Roads of National Significance, 26 per cent will be spent on maintenance operations and renewal of local roads.

“Despite tight economic conditions the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) is intending to spend $1.3 billion on local road maintenance, operations and renewals over the next three years, which is an 8.9 per cent increase on the actual spend over the previous three years.

“Factor in that this increased spending follows 10 years where the NZTA invested around $5.2 billion on local roads, and local authorities spent almost as much, and the claim that local roads are being neglected is shown up as abject nonsense,” Mr Brownlee says.