18 MAY 2015

Penny Pinching Creating Sh3 Manawatu Gorge Problems

New Zealand First List MPs, Ron Mark and Darroch Ball, believe that underinvestment in SH3 through the Manawatu Gorge is why this key route has become vulnerable to rock fall.

“After the latest closure, we asked the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) what they’ve spent on SH3 through the gorge since 2008-09,” New Zealand First MP Ron Mark said.

“There was no pattern indicating this is a state highway being managed by crisis, or rather, by rock fall. For example, in 2008-09 NZTA spent $573,000 on the road but the next year spent only $41,546 before that shot back up to $315,000.

“That was before the mega closure which cost over $15 million to fix.

“Bearing in mind we lose something like $63,000 every day when the gorge closes, yo-yo like patching is not working. We favour adopting Saddle Road and Pahiatua track as an alternative to State Highway 3 in order to properly fix SH3.

“The National government and its so-called ‘local MP’s’ in Wairarapa and Manawatu must do some work and secure funds to upgrade Pahiatua Track. An upgrade now is unlikely before 2019/20 with fingers crossed,” Mr Mark said.

The option favoured by us as local New Zealand First MPs is to build bridges within the gorge, as revealed by theManawatu Standard, or ‘cut and cover’ tunnels in rock fall risk areas.

“Thanks to the Manawatu Standard we know bridges on SH3 away from rock fall risk areas would likely cost hundreds of millions of dollars,” says Mr Ball.

“Bridging risk areas or constructing ‘cut and cover’ tunnels seems the way ahead but whatever the answer, there is no way ratepayers should subsidise a state highway. This is why Saddle Road and Pahiatua Track must be adopted as the SH3 alternative.

“It is a lot of money but the seven largest road projects in Auckland have cost $2.7 billion, not forgetting another $3 billion for rail there. Auckland is about moving people, but SH3 is about freight, people and, above all, jobs,” says Mr Ball.

ENDS

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