Northland businesses, industry groups on SH1 upgrading: Fast-track it

Northland business interests are welcoming the government’s commitments on upgrading State Highway 1 north of Auckland, but want it to expand their scope – and to use its fast-track consenting plans to speed up the process.

The coalition government has committed to develop a new four-lane route bypassing the Brynderwyn Hills, and to four-lane stretches of highway between Warkworth and Wellsford and between Whangārei and Port Marsden.

Northland businesses, backed by industry groups, want government to go further – to upgrade the road to a high-quality, four-lane expressway all the way from Warkworth to Whangārei, and then on to Kaikohe.

The government says the Fast-track Approvals Bill, now at select committee stage, aims to reduce costs and time needed for consenting large-scale projects “with significant regional or national benefits”.

Currently, its position is that construction of the highway alternative for the Brynderwyns will begin within 10 years – although Transport Minister Simeon Brown said during a visit to the area in March that it was “the number one priority going forward”.

At a mid-April event in Whangārei, the Northland Corporate Group (NCG), a consortium of five major businesses, presented a report on the economic advantages of a comprehensive upgrading of the highway between Auckland and Northland.

Compiled by the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research think tank, the “Te Tai Tokerau Northland Expressway” report found that extending a four-lane expressway along the entire route could boost national GDP by $1.2 billion per year by 2050, or $23.8 billion in total from 2040-2060.

It highlighted the potential for significant economic growth, reduced travel times, lowered operating costs and enhanced safety.

The report’s authors said a four-lane expressway would also stimulate population growth and migration to Northland, with significant economic benefits.

“If better transport links caused the rate of population growth to increase by 50 percent, and if every new person moving to Northland makes the same contribution to economic activity as the average New Zealander in 2022, Te Tai Tokerau Northland’s annual regional GDP would grow by $2,108.8 million by 2048.”

Armed with the data, the NCG called on the government to fast-track its Northland roading commitments and to expand their scope to include extending the expressway from Warkworth to Whangārei, and then beyond.

“It’s the only solution that will truly connect our region, and fully unlock our economic contribution,” it said.

The report said government should prioritise the road and immediately begin work on the required detailed options for appraisal, design and costing activities. It should also investigate the use of private financing to accelerate delivery.

The NCG comprises McKay, Northpower, Channel Infrastructure NZ, Culham Engineering and Marsden Maritime Holdings, which together account for an annual turnover exceeding $1 billion and employ more than 3500 people.

Two national industry bodies, Transporting New Zealand and Infrastructure New Zealand, have thrown their support behind the NCG drive.

“The current state of Northland’s highway network acts as a significant barrier to economic growth in the region,” said Transporting NZ interim chief executive Dom Kalasih, whose association represents 1200 road freight transport companies with a combined fleet of 14,000 vehicles.

“Transporting heavy freight through Northland can be perilous and this inhibits Northport’s ability to service Auckland,” Kalasih said. “However, with strategic infrastructure investments, billions of dollars in economic potential could be unlocked, benefiting not only Northland but also the wider country.”

Infrastructure NZ CEO Nick Leggett said the case for a Northland Expressway was about backing Northland to succeed – but also about resilience and the growth of Auckland.

“Our regions can’t sit in splendid isolation, they need resilient 21st century connections to our major centres,” he said. “We believe the government should fast-track the commitments they have already made for SH1 through Northland.”

Kalasih and Leggett said government should push hard to deliver a comprehensive expressway through public-private partnerships, to get the entire route completed faster and to a high standard.

Meanwhile, the $61 million “resilience” project on the Brynderwyns – ensuring the existing road lasts until an alternative is built – has kept that section of SH1 closed since February 26, excluding Easter.

The route, which usually carries up to 15,000 vehicles daily, was to have reopened today, May 15, but a slip in late April threw out the timeline. Waka Kotahi NZTA can’t yet say exactly when it will reopen.

During the closure, vehicles have been directed to use detour routes – Cove Road, the Paparoa Oakleigh Road, and SH12/SH14 to the west.