Labour is investing a record amount in transport services and infrastructure to get New Zealand moving, reduce emissions and support the economic recovery.
In partnership with local government, we’ll be investing a record $24.3 billion into transport services and infrastructure over the next three years – a 44 per cent increase compared to the last three years and 75 per cent more than the previous government.
We can’t accept our roads deteriorating following years of underinvestment – that’s why we’ve stepped in to provide almost $7 billion for local road and state highway maintenance, which will see around 7,000 lane kilometres and 18,000 lane kilometres of
local roads renewed.
Safety remains a top priority for this Government and we’ll be investing $2.9 billion in our road safety plan Road to Zero to help prevent tragedies. This will include making 17 high risk state highway corridors safer, with 51 intersection improvements, 25 new roundabouts, and 164kms of safety barriers.
National didn’t invest in the basics, and we’re having to catch up. The previous government flatlined road maintenance spending, so since coming into government, we’ve boosted it by nearly 50 per cent to help bring our roads up to scratch.
Our transport network is increasingly being impacted by severe weather events as a result of climate change, so on top of our road maintenance investments, a further $3.9 billion will be spent on road improvements that will help connect communities, ensure the reliable movement of freight and improve resilience across the country.
That includes here in Kaipara ki Mahurangi, where projects like Penlink will provide a vital connection for North Auckland, and improvements to SH16 are making driving safer between Brigham Creek and Waimauku.
This spending will drive our economic recovery by supporting thousands of jobs across the country.
This coming summer season we will see record a maintenance programme to catch up on National’s neglect and ensure we have a resilient network well into the future.