Help needed: Invercargill-Bluff highway in 'poor condition'
“We do always feel like the bridesmaid and never the bride as far as getting money for that road."
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Invercargill deputy mayor Tom Campbell has expressed disappointment that the Government has committed $20 billion in funding roads of national significance, but none of that money is heading south.
Of particular concern is the stretch of State Highway 1 between Invercargill to Bluff which Campbell said, “We would all accept it is in poor condition”.
Campbell - who is currently acting mayor in the absence of Nobby Clark - raised his frustration at a council meeting on Tuesday.
“We do always feel like the bridesmaid and never the bride as far as getting money for that road,” Campbell said.
“The announcement the Government made [on Monday] of $20b for 15 projects, and none of them south of the Waitaki, is disappointing.
“We as a council should respond to that.”
Campbell suggested it’s time to pen a letter to Transport Minister Simeon Brown expressing the council’s concerns around the Invercargill-Bluff section of State Highway 1.
“I think a letter would be appropriate because you suspect there is an element of squeaky wheel [gets the oil] in these things.
“We just silently play nice in the crib where others don’t.”
The idea of stating its case to the Minister received support from Campbell’s council colleagues.
Mana whenua representative Evelyn Cook was keen for the council to be more vocal about the urgent need for work on State Highway 1 between Invercargill and Bluff.
“I think it is important we just don’t accept we are being told that there is nothing for us.
“I think we should be saying that [Invercargill-Bluff highway] is really important. This is a lifeline and this is an important lifeline, so why do we keep missing out? We can’t be passive.
“In the event of an emergency, it is really a risky situation and what are they going to do about it?
“I don’t understand when they are evaluating, how it keeps being ignored. I think as the council, as the [territorial authority] with responsibility, we need to be saying it to anybody that will listen.”
Cr Grant Dermody agreed and felt the council should outline to the Government just how important the stretch of road is for the region.
He felt they could put a strong case together for the funding.
“It’s more important than just the Invercargill city and the Bluff community, it’s actually a regional asset.
“You think about the goods that travel up and down that [highway] from the whole of Southland.
“I think we’ve got to make a strong business case and be supported by all of the mayors of Southland, because everybody benefits.
“I think we should aggregate a short summary of the business case; why it’s important to the Bluff community, some of the risks at the moment, and the importance economically.
“[We need to] get the support of the likes of South Port and Richardson Group, some of the big users of that. Because if you go and talk to them, they will say it’s not a safe road to drive on. So, for many reasons we a going knock on the door and hard.”
Invercargill City Council infrastructure group manager Erin Moogan said they met with Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency representatives in Dunedin on Monday and the Bluff-Invercargill highway topic did come up in discussion.
“We did obviously advocate for the fact that Invercargill is not seeing sufficient investment into State Highway 1 there.
“What we were advised was currently within the programme they were looking to do work within the next 12 months to raise the road in that area approaching the estuary, but at this stage that is the only work they have programmed.”
Highways across the south are gradually deteriorating more because of poor maintenance than funding issues. If a repair isn't done properly money is wasted and you don't have to look far to see that. North Road north of the Bainfield lights was patched up last year and every patch has now failed. The contractors ignore the failures because doing another repair in less than 12 months would raise eyebrows so they get worse and worse. The state of Bluff Road would have been unacceptable back in the days of the MOW just because of the amount of water it holds on the surface during wet weather.
Its the old adage if you maintain something properly in the end you save money. If you wait till it needs fixed it will always turn out more expensive.
The people of the old National Roads Board who toured NZ's highways on a bi annual basis back in the MOW days would be turning in their graves at just how far standards have slipped.
Anyone who disagrees should just drive along North Road and Dee St and think is this acceptable. The east lane of Dee St from Gala St is atrocious but the council seemed to have deemed it acceptable for the two years since it was reinstated after major works.
I don't think there is a roading contractor in the south that can actually repair or reinstate a road surface after road works. And council staff who are meant to be looking after the infrastructure on behalf of the ratepayers seem to be happy to sign off shoddy repairs rather than think about at least maintaining a standard that was there prior to the works taking place.
Successive Invercargill based Members of Parliament completely ignore local issues. S.H. 1 between Invercargill and Bluff is a disgrace and the volume of heavy traffic is increasing every year. Driving on this road in wet weather is dangerous with large lorries throwing up water and making for poor visibility.
Come on local M.P.'s, get off your backsides and start advocating for your constituents.