The Government has announced another huge dollop of spending  — $567 million – for immediate works on state highways in Tairāwhiti, Wairoa, Hawke’s Bay, Coromandel and Northland. About $120 million of that for SH2 between Napier and Wairoa.

Said Minister for Cyclone Recovery Grant Robertson, “We need to ensure that transport infrastructure is rebuilt quickly post the weather events, but also that they are built in a resilient way as increasingly severe weather events will continue to hit New Zealand.”

This investment is on top of the $525 million already provided to Waka Kotahi in the immediate aftermath of the cyclone. 

And that investment, said Transportation Minister David Parker, is “In addition to the funding for state highways the Government has already made … to local road repairs, which are normally the responsibility of local government. This amounts to $210 million since February this year.”

Said Parker, “We need permanent solutions in places where Bailey bridges were put in to reopen river crossings. This extra funding will replace or strengthen and rebuild damaged bridges. It will also improve the road surface on major stretches of road where potholes and cracks left after the weather events have made travel slow and frustrating for locals.”

So, $1.3 billion additional on roading committed since the cyclone. Just watch those potholes disappear!

Then there’s 4-laning the Expressway … more on that to come.