More road funding for HB

Work to repair Hawke’s Bay’s cyclone-ravaged State Highway network is expected to be completed by the end of next year.

Transport Minister Simeon Brown recently announced the regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding, which includes a combined $250 million for Hawke’s Bay and Tairawhiti. The announcement came complete with completion dates for each individual piece of repair work and was greeted with enthusiasm by the Hastings District Council (HDC).

“The Government has targeted Budget spending at restoring State Highways to pre-cyclone levels of service. This is a positive first step,’’ an HDC spokesperson said. “While we are hopeful there will be State Highway improvement projects in future years, we recognise that recovery will take a number of years and that the fiscal situation means investment must be spread. 

“We also note with positivity the signalled investment in four-laning of the HB Expressway.’’

The minister also said $50 million is being invested to enable the Hastings District Council and Gisborne District Council (GDC) to continue repairs to the local roading network.

“We’re committed to the recovery effort, and a key part of this will be restoring vital state highways across the region as part of our plan to get people and freight to where they want to go quickly and safely,’’ Brown said. “Recovery works include permanent structural or pavement repairs, drop out repairs, bridge re-establishment works, benching and shaping of slip sites, rockfall protection systems, and river training and scour protection.’’

HDC did not declare how the $50 million was being split between themselves and GDC.

“In terms of local road funding, we are delighted at the spending allocated in the budget to help rebuild our vital farm gate to port and processing local road network,’’ said the spokesperson.

“Our staff are currently working with NZTA on a detailed 2024/25 work programme which is part of the $330 million allocated to NIWE regions in Budget 24. Together with the $228 million allocated to support road repairs in Hastings as part of the Crown funding agreement last July, this funding makes a healthy inroad into the vast programme of repairs that need doing.

“We are also very pleased that the Minister has invited the region’s councils to submit a multi-year funding bid for the remainder of the recovery programme. The recovery programme is likely to stretch over another six to nine years and ongoing Government support will be vital.’’

Here’s a schedule of the approved projects.

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