The National Land Transport Programme 2021-24 finally gets road maintenance funding at the level it needs to be, but it will not be enough to catch up with years of deferred maintenance, says Civil Contractors New Zealand Chief Executive Peter Silcock The three-year, $24.3b National Land Transport Programme 2021-24 announced this week by Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency, features a more than 24 per cent increase in State Highway and local road maintenance. Continue →

Singapore-Australia joint venture, Auckland One Rail, will take over Auckland’s passenger rail network after 18 years of operation by Transdev Auckland Transport has given a contract for the delivery of rail services in Auckland to Auckland One Rail (AOR), a joint venture between Singapore-based public transport operator ComfortDelGro and Australian rail operations and maintenance provider UGL.  Continue →

The Government has rejected Waka Kotahi’s proposal to toll the new extension of Auckland’s Northern Motorway after facing strong opposition from the local community The $877.5m project is expected to be completed next year and will extend the four-lane Northern Motorway (SH1) 18.5km from the Johnstone’s Hill tunnels to just north of Warkworth. Continue →

A 40-seat battery-driven drone bus will be in the air for cargo in 2022 and passengers in 2023 if the FAA approves Braeden Kelekona’s creation comes to life as an aircraft resembling a futuristic blimp capable of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL). Continue →

Following a protest on Auckland’s harbour bridge, the Government has given the green light to a second harbour crossing for cyclists and pedestrians while other transport projects are axed nationwide Transport Minister Michael Wood has announced the Northern Pathway, a bridge exclusively for cyclists and pedestrians to travel between Central Auckland’s Westhaven and the North Shore. Continue →

The Government has committed $1.3b for rail in Budget 2021, building on previous Budget investments of $1.2b in 2020 and $1b in 2019, but where is all the money going? Continue →

Rail will now be funded from the National Land Transport Fund, the same pot used for road infrastructure and paid for by road taxes Rail provides $1.7 billion to $2.1 billion in value to New Zealand each year, according to an Ernst and Young report.  Continue →

The collapse of a Mexico City bridge which killed 25 people prompts us to look at our own bridges, many now handling loads they were not originally expected to carry Government infrastructure spending boosts may provide a welcome opportunity to upgrade many of Australasia’s 57,000-plus bridges, some of which are in sore need of maintenance. Continue →

The interim review of Wellington’s Transmission Gully motorway project has identified weaknesses in New Zealand’s PPP procurement process and has made recommendations to make sure this never happens again Transmission Gully has long been a dog of a project, says Greater Auckland’s Matt Lowrie. Continue →

The opening of a new South Auckland cycling project designed to improve access for cyclists to public transport hubs has led to an immediate increase in children biking to school The new privately funded cycle network at Drury South Crossing, New Zealand’s largest industrial and residential development, has created 9km of urbanised cycle paths that will provide thousands of local residents with safe walking or bike access to Drury Central – one of three new train stations planned for the Drury area. Continue →

The Government’s new light rail establishment unit represents an opportunity to rethink the wider transport and development vision for Auckland to tackle congestion, carbon and housing affordability challenges, says Infrastructure New Zealand Policy Director, Hamish Glenn The Government announced this week it is setting up a new Establishment Unit to evaluate options for rapid transit between the city centre and Mangere. Continue →

The Auckland Transport Alignment Project (ATAP) 2021-31 package will invest $31 billion into critical transport infrastructure and services across Auckland, but it faces criticism for failing to tackle the big issues ATAP largely reflects and builds upon the $28 billion 2018 package, which focussed on developing a rapid transit network, walking and cycling, safety and unlocking growth. Continue →

The Auckland Light Rail has the potential to revolutionise the city’s public transport network – but only if done right, says Anderson Lloyd Partner, Anton Trixl The Auckland Light Rail was one of the most ambitious projects for the Auckland region, set to transform the public transport network. Continue →

Tolling strategic corridors on the Auckland road network will reduce congestion by 8-12%, finds a report from the Ministry of Transport The report explores a number of different congestion pricing systems used overseas to reduce congestion and improve travel times. Continue →

The 10-kilometre long Christchurch Northern Corridor will partially open today ahead of its full opening in mid December   From Monday 30 November to Friday 11 December one traffic lane in each direction will be open. Continue →

Motorists with smartphones could help maintain road quality by sending ‘crowdsourced’ data from their mobiles that would allow engineers to assess when repairs are needed, according to a new study by the University of Birmingham Road roughness is an important measure of condition and ride quality, but many agencies around the world with large road networks lack the resources to regularly check the state of their highways and make informed maintenance decisions. Continue →

The Government has asked Infracom (New Zealand Infrastructure Commission, Te Waihanga) to oversee an urgent and wide-ranging review into the Transmission Gully Project after multiple mistakes and set-backs Infracom Chief Executive Ross Copland has advised that international expert reviewer Steve Richards has been appointed to lead the review and he will be joined by two New Zealand based peer reviewers, Sir Michael Cullen and Lindsay Crossen. Continue →

The full reopening of Auckland’s Harbour Bridge provides the opportunity for a considered and independent examination of all Waitematā Harbour crossing options, says Infrastructure New Zealand Policy Director Hamish Glenn “That a steel strut some 6 storeys high could be manufactured, transported and installed into one of New Zealand’s most heavily utilised and critical infrastructure assets in such a short period is something to celebrate. Continue →

Now is the time to recognise the manufacturing capabilities of Australia says the Australasian Railway Association (ARA) ARA Chief Executive Officer Caroline Wilkie says that the Australian manufacturing sector’s capabilities need to be recognised, particularly in the wake of Covid-19, and calls for consistent procurement choices to benefit the Australian economy. Continue →