Roading bosses are "horrified" that a dangerous stretch of Marlborough highway has again been overlooked for funding, after they first requested the safety upgrades six years ago.
Weld Pass is a notoriously winding stretch of State Highway 1, through hills separating the Wairau and Awatere valleys. Photo: SCOTT HAMMOND/STUFF
Over the last 20 years, there have been two fatal crashes and 15 serious crashes along Weld Pass, south of Blenheim.
But instead of putting the notorious stretch forward for its next round of funding, Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) proposed the already completed Ōpaoa River Bridge, its "surprise" State Highway 6 and State Highway 62 roundabout, and improvements by Picton's new ferry terminal.
Marlborough District Council regional transport committee chairman Francis Maher said its members were "quite shocked".
Marlborough, Nelson and Tasman's councils had been pushing for upgrades to the Weld Pass since 2015, estimated to cost $16 million, and dubbed it their "most significant project".
Vehicles had a "high probability" of plummeting off Weld Pass in a crash, made even more possible by the road's tight bends.
The state highway through Weld Pass is close to 200 metres high, at its highest point. Photo: SCOTT HAMMOND/STUFF
"We have become a victim of the Government Policy Statement [on land transport]. The Government is prioritising other things, like improving cycleways and walkways," Maher said.
"If something is not done to that piece of road in the next 20 years, it will be like we're stepping back into the Dark Ages."
The committee signed a letter asking for NZTA to include Weld Pass in its next National Land Transport Programme, which set out what projects the Government should fund.
NZTA director of regional relationships Emma Speight said the agency had received feedback from several councils, which it had "carefully considered" and was responding to.
She did not explain why Weld Pass was left off the list.
"Once we have shared our response [with the] Marlborough District Council and had an opportunity to discuss [this] with them, we will be able to share updates on specific projects."
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) proposed realigning the highway and putting down passing lanes during consultation in 2018. Photo: CREDIT: SUPPLIED
In 2015, NZTA announced a $221m package for the top of the south under its programme, which included an amount for "Weld Pass improvements" to better travel times and safety.
But a change in Government and a new road policy meant by 2018, improvements to Weld Pass had fallen by the wayside. This was despite NZTA having already carried out public consultation on proposed solutions for the "high-risk" road.
Marlborough's committee pointed out danger zones along the road to an NZTA boss last February in a renewed bid for upgrades, which it doubled down on after a string of deaths.
Last week, Marlborough, Nelson and Tasman's regional transport committees widened their scope and named the entire road between Blenheim and Ward a priority under the top of the south's proposed new regional land transport plan.
Eighteen fatal crashes had occurred on the twisting road separating the two towns in the last 20 years, including four deaths last year. Ward man Damian Pollock, Seddon men Ross Wallace and Geoffrey Hough, and a person who had yet to be named died on the road within the space of a month.
Improvements to Weld Pass were proposed in 2018 but the $16m construction job never went ahead. Photo: SCOTT HAMMOND/STUFF
"It was agreed by members of the other two councils, particularly those in Tasman, that this project is important to this region," Maher said. "It's about connectivity, as well as safety. It's not just for Marlborough, it's for the whole of the country."
But the project fell from the top of the south's highest priority to its 14th, of 14 projects. Replacing it in first place was the multimillion-dollar redevelopment of Picton's ferry terminal.
Currently, NZTA wanted to give itself until 2024 to draw up a business case on improving road access to the terminal, then implementing the case findings over the following three years.
But Marlborough's transport committee wanted this moved forward, so the region's roads were equipped for KiwiRail's newer, larger ferries, set to be on the water from late 2024.
In its letter, the committee also asked for a review of Blenheim's traffic network to be included on NZTA's shortlist, explaining it was "critical for Marlborough's future planning".
"Marlborough is experiencing significant growth and the effects are really being felt, particularly on State Highway 1."
It had already petitioned NZTA to fund the review last year, after a traffic study found Blenheim was not busy enough for a bypass, but it was busy enough for another roundabout.
The study would be re-run once the council received the predicted traffic impacts from KiwiRail's two new ferries.
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