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Auckland’s $63 billion Regional Land Transport Plan (RLTP) has been endorsed by Auckland Council and approved by Auckland Transport.
The final proposal budgeted $28 billion for public transport, $17 billion for State Highway improvements, $13.3 billion for renewals and $3.1 billion for local road improvements.
At council’s Transport and Infrastructure Committee on July 25, when the council endorsed the RLTP, Transport System Strategy general manager Hamish Bunn said the priorities were realigned after public consultation, elevating state highway spending.
The report showed that based on a weighted average of support from public submissions, state highways outranked walking and cycling as well as safety. However, public transport and local roads were the top priorities.
The RLTP has budgeted $900 million for walking and cycling and $700 million for safety.
The government has also prioritised funding for state highways, and at the meeting, Cr Richard Hills said it was clear that state highways were already funded far higher than local roads, safety and cycling.
“Council’s priority is public transport infrastructure but as far as I can see, we are likely to be funded 30 percent of our public transport infrastructure but about 100 percent of state highway activity [with government funding],” Hills said.
Cr Chris Darby said state highway projects meant costs for Auckland Transport as the state highway flows into the local road network requiring intersection and other upgrades.
AT chief executive officer Dean Kimpton agreed.
“We need to ensure that the implications of [Roads of National Significance] projects are properly understood from a local road and local operating expense perspective,” Kimpton said.
