At midnight on Monday, a nine-week closure of the country’s main national highway arterial begins. This length of closure of a main arterial between two major centres would be unthinkable in any other modern economy, but here we are.
This is not a proud moment for New Zealand. The crumbling Brynderwyn road has not caught us by surprise, it has been coming for decades, we have had ample warnings. This is a moment to hang our collective heads in shame at the lack of planning and asset management.
I have spoken to many of our members and business owners in Northland. The frustration and anxiety is written all over their faces. Real people facing real economic hardship, some possibly ruin, because we didn’t plan and invest in our roading network when we should have. Heartbreaking, and completely avoidable.
Some may shrug their shoulders, and say we are where we are. This may be true, but it’s critical we learn the painful lesson so that we do not end up here again. This is not just a Northland and Auckland problem, it is a national problem. You only have to look at Cook Strait and the East Coast to find other fragile parts of our roading network.
Now that we are here, NZTA are doing a commendable job to dig us out of the hole. They have worked hard to minimise the closure as much as possible – avoiding it altogether simply was not an option given how narrow the road is. The detour routes have been upgraded to make them suitable for heavy transport, and they have worked closely with NRC and industry. We support the closure, no one has an appetite to play roulette with mother nature again this winter.
The re-worked Brynderwyn portion of State Highway 1 will only have a 5-7 year asset life. National Road Carriers continues to call for the four-lane bypass to be accelerated and locked in the NZTA works plan. And today on Radio New Zealand I called again for the 50 year roading infrastructure plan, so that future generations don’t find their businesses hanging by a thread because of our failing to do the right thing.
Justin
