The Hope Bypass is being sold as the solution to Richmond’s congestion woes but — with a $500 million price tag — the 5km stretch of new highway may well be tolled to recover costs.
"The Government strongly supports tolls as a way to fund new roading infrastructure," Transport Minister Simeon Brown said.
Waka Kotahi has been given the expectation that it should consider tolling to construct and maintain all new Roads of National Significance, which included the Hope Bypass.
"If a recommendation was made to toll this Road of National Significance, we would support that proposal," Brown said.
The bypass would shift State Highway 6 off Gladstone Rd and Main Rd Hope and onto a purpose-built highway to allow freight and other through-traffic to skirt the Tasman town of Richmond and much of the Hope area.
But the region’s leaders have questioned the appropriateness of tolling the relatively short route.
Nelson’s Labour MP Rachel Boyack said toll roads are appropriate for some areas, but not for the Hope Bypass.
"I will be pushing back hard if they propose to toll it."
She said the region had a "real need" for transport investment and was already missing out after the former government's project for an upgrade of Rocks Rd was dropped from plans.
"The Government actually needs to do that investment itself. It's not acceptable for us to have waited for so long for this investment, to then get the investment, and be told, 'well, actually, no, you're going to have to pay for this as a toll'."
The region’s joint transport committee hasn’t formally adopted a position regarding the potential tolling of the bypass.
However, committee chair and Tasman’s deputy mayor Stuart Bryant said his personal view was that the community would be "reluctant" to pay for tolling.
"We have a disproportionate amount of our Road User Charges, particularly from the transport industry, that don’t come back to this area. They wouldn’t want to pay that and then have to pay tolling as well."
He also highlighted that the region doesn’t have rail which would serve as an alternative way to move freight without tolling.
Nelson Mayor Nick Smith had doubts about whether tolling the road would be appropriate.
“Tolling can work on a major length of road such as the new Waikato Expressway or Transmission Gully, but I doubt it is workable for a short stretch such as the Hope Bypass.”
Currently, the shortest toll road in New Zealand is the 5km Takitimu Drive in Tauranga. The next-longest is the 7.5km Northern Gateway between Pūhoi and Silverdale in Auckland.
All three of the region’s representatives also expressed concern about the current timing of the project. The State Highway Investment Proposal for 2024-34 currently has the design, consenting, and construction of the Hope Bypass slated for the 2030-34 period.
Boyack pointed to Labour’s past plans, based upon advice from Waka Kotahi, that had the bypass’s consenting taking place in the 2024-27 period.
"I would like to know what advice has changed from NZTA to suggest that that project needs to be pushed out again," she said.
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"The project that we've managed to keep is being delayed. So, I'm really frustrated that again we've got the Top of the South looking like they're missing out."
Smith said he wasn't satisfied with the current timing and was lobbying ministers to progress the bypass more quickly but added that he was "optimistic" the project would be brought forward.
"My worry with the current timetable is that, with continued strong growth, the congestion will just get worse."
Bryant agreed, saying "the sooner the better".
Brown said Waka Kotahi will continue working towards delivering the Government’s transport plans, with the prioritisation of projects being worked through as the agency develops the National Land Transport Programme for the next three years.
Local Democracy Reporting is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air
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