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Post by fish on May 13, 2024 12:54:32 GMT 12
Major roading announcement today from National's Minister of Transport Simeon Brown. Awesome headlines "10 new Roads of Regional Significance!!!!" But the first project the "announce" is already in construction, Labour got it going and funded it, after 30 years of talk - Penlink. Been in construction for over a year now, as in started construction before the election. I'm not across all of the other projects announced, but several of these are existing projects, I think some just needed funding. Funding, well, turns out there is no new funding, just an existing fund of $6.4 billion. Oh, and that funding WILL NOT be extended. So it has to pay for 12 major roading projects, 2 roads of National significance, and 10 roads of Regional significance. So, was this a major announcement about nothing at all?The only useful part of the announcement was that NZTA will be solely responsible for scope and funding decisions, meaning the Minister is removed from the approvals process, so he can't bugger it up, introduce scope creep and bugger up the consenting requirements. Or, if the budget turns out to be woefully inadequate, it is NZTA bosses in the firing line and not the Minister ;-) www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/516658/transport-minister-announces-new-roads-of-regional-significance |
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Post by harrytom on May 13, 2024 16:36:40 GMT 12
Penlink would be a nice to have,but need to get state hwy 1 fixed properly for northland and upgrade rail line. Mamamukas still closed till end of yr. Been closed since August 2022 yet they can rebuild a bridge for holiday makers going Whitianga ways in months.
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Post by GO30 on May 13, 2024 18:12:03 GMT 12
They are going all out on the northland rail line at the moment. Stripping the tracks off, redoing the whole bed, new conc sleepers going in and then the track replaced, all while doing large rebuilding/shaping of each side of the track. It's a massive tweaking.
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dp
Full Member
Posts: 140
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Post by dp on May 13, 2024 18:45:35 GMT 12
Penlink would be a nice to have,but need to get state hwy 1 fixed properly for northland and upgrade rail line. Mamamukas still closed till end of yr. Been closed since August 2022 yet they can rebuild a bridge for holiday makers going Whitianga ways in months. Those of us that live on the Coromandel and use the road to get to work, and receive and supply produce along that road might disagree. |
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Post by harrytom on May 13, 2024 19:23:38 GMT 12
Penlink would be a nice to have,but need to get state hwy 1 fixed properly for northland and upgrade rail line. Mamamukas still closed till end of yr. Been closed since August 2022 yet they can rebuild a bridge for holiday makers going Whitianga ways in months. Those of us that live on the Coromandel and use the road to get to work, and receive and supply produce along that road might disagree. You get the point though,built in months not years right! 2 yrs for mamakus and still slipping.Like the Brenderwens 9 weeks,no wait found more slips, Tunnel the Brenderwins would make more sense or beef up the coastal route.. Mamakus closure means our Northland driver cant get home,adds 3 hrs on his day. Before he could get back with 1 hr spare. |
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Post by fish on May 13, 2024 21:04:21 GMT 12
Those of us that live on the Coromandel and use the road to get to work, and receive and supply produce along that road might disagree. You get the point though,built in months not years right! 2 yrs for mamakus and still slipping.Like the Brenderwens 9 weeks,no wait found more slips, Tunnel the Brenderwins would make more sense or beef up the coastal route.. Mamakus closure means our Northland driver cant get home,adds 3 hrs on his day. Before he could get back with 1 hr spare. A key point in today's non-announcement is there is no mention of a Brynderwynns bypass. Something that is very obviously needed. Today they announced existing projects with existing budget, yet the MSM report this all as some sort of new announcement. |
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Post by fish on May 13, 2024 21:12:39 GMT 12
Penlink would be a nice to have,but need to get state hwy 1 fixed properly for northland and upgrade rail line. Mamamukas still closed till end of yr. Been closed since August 2022 yet they can rebuild a bridge for holiday makers going Whitianga ways in months. This comment is possibly how the majority of the public expect roading projects to be prioritised. Below is an example of how roading projects are actually prioritised: Penlink only got over the line regards a business case and funding because Fulton Hogan Property needed it to be able to live zone the 8,000 dwellings in Milldale, as per the 2016 Unitary Plan decision. Penlink is nothing to do with travel times from Gulf Harbour or congestion on Whangaparaoa Rd, although all those people will be paying for it via the tolls. Penlink was solely needed because the Silverdale interchange with SH1 is already at capacity and FH have already built the Millwater and Grand Drive interchanges (has been at capacity for a couple of years now) and was preventing a whole lot of cow paddocks being turned into a highly lucrative development owned be people with connections. Roading projects generally aren't about roads, or improving travel times. They are about enabling growth / development of greenfield land, which is normally brought as cow paddocks with zero value by people with connections, and turned into million dollar apartments and terrace houses for the great unwashed (and all the immigrants) to live in. |
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