My Account
Rodney’s extensive network of unsealed roads looks set to receive a long overdue funding and maintenance boost, with a wide range of new safety and maintenance improvements and extra sealing by Auckland Transport (AT).
The Unsealed Road Improvement Programme is the result of more than three years of lobbying by Councillor Greg Sayers and the Rodney Local Board, especially Wellsford member Colin Smith, who has long fought for a tailored and more cost efficient approach to improving rural roads, rather than a ‘one size fits all’ policy.
“It’s great. In the past, road maintenance has been reactionary, but now we have a plan with a principle wrapped around it,” Mr Smith said. “What’s pleased me most is that AT has allowed me to come on board with my history, knowledge and experience of contracting over the years and allowed me to help them adopt this ‘fit for purpose’ strategy.
“Normally these organisations don’t like any outside input at all, it’s all done through consultants, but they don’t have the knowledge and history of a particular area.”
The new programme will boost spending over the next three years and broaden the use of the existing Seal Extension Programme to include road widening, safety improvements and pavement strengthening, as well as extra sealing. Different surface treatments will be developed and employed to suit particular road conditions, allowing flexibility of cost away from a ‘gold-plated’ standard that averaged $1 million per kilometre.
Cr Sayers said it was a watershed moment for the rural community.
“This will not only mean more roads will be able to get sealed, but ratepayers will also get better bang for their buck,” he said. “Along with achieving more sealing, the new methodology also allows for other unsealed roads to be prepared in advance for sealing by widening them, improving drainage and improving their driving safety.”
The plans were unanimously supported and endorsed at last month’s Local Board meeting. They now have to be approved by Council’s governing body.
AT chief engineer Murray Burt told the meeting that he was hopeful the programme, which is part of an already approved budget, would not be affected by any Covid-19 spending cuts.
“Obviously in these unprecedented times, we can’t foresee the future, but we will be doing our best to advocate that roads receive the amount they should,” he said.
Colin Smith agreed.
“Maintenance of rural roads and connectivity is really important. It’s one of the things Council would be silly to cut, because for every ratepayer this is a win-win. There are a lot of projects that are luxuries that would be better to be cut.”
