Almost half the state highway network throughout Hawke’s Bay has “major deficiencies”, a report outlining why the region needs a $4.7 billion roading upgrade says.
Hawke’s Bay Regional Council’s wide-ranging 2024-34 regional land transport plan – titled “Moving Us Into the Future” – spells out the challenges facing a roading network that was at “the limit of its durability”.
Wairoa Mayor Craig Little says while parts of the report make for sobering reading, it was important the state of the roads – and how much work was needed – was shared and acted on as soon as possible.
That includes the standards of state highways in the region – including SH2 and SH5 – and how they stack up against the star ratings employed by roading officials to assess the safety and quality of main routes.
“Around 43% of Hawke’s Bay state highways have a low two-star rating and 57 have a medium three-star rating,” the report said.
“A two-star road represents many major deficiencies such as poor alignment, poor roadside conditions and median protection, and poorly designed intersections at regular intervals, while a three-star road represents major deficiencies in some road features.”
The report said Hawke’s Bay had a “relatively poor” road safety record compared to other regions.
It also listed several initiatives that could be used to improve that, including road safety messages, building public demand for safer vehicles, shoulder widening and widening the centre line, surface enhancements to improve skid resistance and “robust” maintenance across the system.
The Hawke’s Bay Regional Council (HBRC) report urged long-term investment, saying $4.7b was needed over the next decade.
The document says the region’s local and rural roading network was “at the limit of its durability”.
It described the rural roading network – that was badly damaged in Cyclone Gabrielle – as the “backbone of our regional economy”. More than 80% of roads in Hawke’s Bay were classified as rural.
“Our region requires investment that is long-term and sustained,” the HBRC said in the document.
“We need the rebuild and resilience works to happen with urgency and priority – ideally over the next seven to 10 years – to enable our regional economy and communities to thrive, and limit the excessive cost that may come if there is a greater delay.”
The document talks of how the region’s transport system “has a raft of challenges with fragile and vulnerable areas” and related resilience.
The north and west of the region had land that was “highly erodible, unstable, and crossed rivers and streams”.
The region’s main state highways – SH2 and SH5 – formed “critical lifeline links”, but both geological and geographical issues resulted in “a recipe for resilience challenges and ongoing and persistent disruption across the system”.
The report spelt out how important it was to the region’s key industries to have a transport network they could rely on after the cyclone. That includes the horticulture industry, which had suffered a $1.4b hit.
It was put together in the year after Cyclone Gabrielle caused widespread devastation, with the document saying the deadly weather event had “created unprecedented challenges for the transport system in Hawke’s Bay”.
The economic cost of state highway closures during and after Cyclone Gabrielle was more than $500 million, about 4% of the combined Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti regions’ annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
The storm highlighted the “fragility” of the roading system, with closures which the HBRC “estimated” had cost the local economy $3m daily.
But, the report said, the cyclone’s aftermath had also “helped shape and hone the region’s overarching vision and objectives” transport-wise.
The full recovery and rebuild works for the network from the cyclone are expected to top $1b.
“Continued and future risk of disruption will undermine business confidence, reduce the competitiveness of the region’s economy and result in further economic loss,” the report said.
“It is vital that we invest to secure reliable and resilient journeys on these vital lifeline links, along with repairing and enhancing the resilience of our local roading network.”
The report described the Hawke’s Bay Expressway, that runs from Bayview to Pakipaki, as the region’s transport “spine”.
Transport Minister Simeon Brown recently green-lit funding for the four-laning of the route as part of its Roads of National Significance projects.
A separate Wairoa District Council document saw officials list 12 “prioritised” projects within the wider Hawke’s Bay region, including sections north and south of Napier, and sections of SH5 between Napier and Taupō.
SH5 faced resilience issues such as slips, rockfalls and hazardous trees, which could result in a detour of more than two hours for motorists.
The report revealed a GDP loss of between $84m-$115m due to closures totalling 36 days in the year after the cyclone.
The GDP drop caused by closures to SH2 in that period was between $310m-$440m.
Talking to NZME, Little said the state of SH2 currently resembled “a bit of a goat track”.
The report highlighted just how serious the roading issues were in both his council’s catchment, wider Hawke’s Bay and how it impacted those needing to travel through the region.
“A lot of people think it is just Wairoa that is affected [by SH2′s status], but it is also Gisborne as well,” Little said.
“From Gisborne, a lot of people head that way to Wellington or Napier or to get to the other side of the country.
“It is really affecting a lot of businesses. Our local trucking business used to be able to get a truck and trailer unit down to Hawke’s Bay twice a day carting stock. And they can’t do that now.
“You imagine the ongoing cost to their business for that, having to put someone up a night to stay [before heading back to Wairoa]. I would like to know what it is costing now. And that is forestry trucks and stock trucks, everything, to not be able to do those big trips in one day now.”
Little said it was imperative decisions were made and work started as soon as possible, due to ever-soaring costs.
Last week, Brown announced a record Government $657m transport investment in Hawke’s Bay through the 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme.
The minister said the funding would both help support the region’s recovery from Cyclone Gabrielle damage and build greater resilience in the local roading network, something which would support economic growth and productivity.
“We are committed to making sure that every dollar is spent wisely on the projects and services that Kiwis need. For Hawke’s Bay, this means repairing, rebuilding and maintaining the region’s road network to a high standard, and that is exactly what we are delivering,” Brown said.
“Key state highways have already reopened and there are short-term measures in place to ensure the region keeps moving, but there is still more to do. The Government is focusing investment on areas with significant landslides, bridge repairs, and drainage issues to build greater resilience into our transport infrastructure.”
Brown said NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi would also “continue to prioritise support for the Transport Rebuild East Coast Alliance, including options work on SH2 at Waikare Gorge and Devil’s Elbow”.
Neil Reid is a Napier-based senior reporter who covers general news, features and sport. He joined the Herald in 2014 and has 30 years of newsroom experience.
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It hit at a depth of 36km and could be felt around the twin cities of Napier and Hastings.