Economic down spiral in store for Waikato, warns National MP

In 2017, Transport Minister Simon Bridges announcing that SH29 will be four-laned from the Kaimais to Cambridge. With him are MPs Tim Macindoe (left), Louise Upston and David Bennett. Photo / File

The Waikato, and New Zealand, risks an economic down spiral if key infrastructure in transport isn't continued, according to National MP David Bennett.

Mr Bennett, MP for Hamilton East, took a swipe after Transport Minister Phil Twyford said at the announcement of the $1.4 billion dollar Safe Networks Programme, that the National Government was only interested in building four-lane highways.

Median barriers, rumble strips and road wiring had been installed in various places across the country, included on State Highway 3 near Te Awamutu, but Mr Bennett said that the approach does not work across the country, and has economic consequences.

"If we had a two-lane road all the way to Auckland from Hamilton then Hamilton would had not have grown because none of the businesses would have wanted to come down to Hamilton," Mr Bennett said.

Hamilton East MP David Bennett points out that National had planned to build a four lane highway from Piarere across to the foot of the Kaimais. Photo / File

"That's why you do the four lanes, partly for road safety, but more for economic growth and what they are talking about doing has no economic growth to it."

Mr Bennett said the Government had cancelled all the planned projects National had planned so they could build the train in Auckland from Manukau to the central city.

"The problem they have got which they did not think about is that they cancelled all the other projects, but have not got the train one going yet."

"The end of their Government will be transport funding."

He said that there is going to be an infrastructure gap, and that is why there have been delays in the completion of the Hamilton section of the Waikato Expressway as work slows down.

He said that the contractors are holding back on the work because they have nothing to go on to, due to the transport infrastructure hole that will happen after 2020.

The Hamilton section of the Waikato Expressway has suffered setbacks which means it will not be opening on time in 2020, and Hamilton will suffer.

"The Hamilton Inland port was expected to open in 2020 and it relies on the Waikato Expressway," Mr Bennett said.

"Without that road no one is going to invest in the Inland Port."

He also said that if the Golden Triangle rail network was to ever happen, then the Government would need to run a different train line to the current tracks from Hamilton to Tauranga now.

"That line is full with freight, so if the Government do get round to building a passenger rail network there then we would need another tunnel through the Kaimais."

National had planned to build a four-lane highway from Piarere across to the foot of the Kaimais in Tauranga, but that there were no plans for a tunnel for cars just yet.