Council urged to act on roading priorities

One senior councillor wants Montgomery Rd to have a top priority because of increasing amount of heavy traffic using the route. Photo/Bevan Conley

Millions of dollars worth of roading and infrastructure work which has been constantly shelved is being revisited by the Wanganui District Council as it prepares its funding wish list for the NZ Transport Agency.

The council's priorities have to be finalised next month and it will meet at a workshop to sort things out.

Councillor Ray Stevens, chair of the council's operations and reporting committee, said the September deadline must be met if council wants to be considered in the NZTA three-year funding round.

In a report to the committee, senior roading engineer Rui Leitao outlined the infrastructure deferrals or exclusions council had made since 2006 to either its annual plans or 10-year plans.

He said establishing priorities would also help staff when they put together the 30-year infrastructure strategy 2015-46. Changes to the Local Government Act now require councils to set up 30-year strategies.

Each year since 2006 a number of infrastructure items have been chopped from budgets as councillors tried to keep a hold on rates.

Among roading items repeatedly deferred have been the Dublin St Bridge replacement ($23 million), the Mosston Rd reconstruction ($9.54 million) and the Fitzherbert Ave extension ($2 million).

Items excluded altogether have been the Mill Rd extension ($425,000) and Wikitoria Rd culvert replacement ($500,000).

Other items excluded or deferred include water infrastructure, stormwater and drainage items, a number of footpath renewals and other maintenance.

Mr Leitao said council needed to be aware of the "queue of deferred works that are amassing".

Mr Stevens said in his view Montgomery Rd was a priority, given the increasing amount of traffic now using it.

"It's become a major feeder road for heavy trucks going to and from the Castlecliff industrial hub. An example are the milk tankers going to and from the Open Country Dairy factory on Heads Rd," he said.

"The width of that road is very narrow and there have been accidents along the route."

He said council would have to establish the benefit/cost ratio of Montgomery Rd because it was one of the first criteria NZTA expected for any road works.

"Montgomery Rd has been on the list for years but it's the increase in those heavy traffic movements which is a concern."