Is designating Mangakahia Rd as a SH the right roading strategy?
Updated: Sep 17, 2020
The Northland Regional Transport Plan Mangakahia Rd is described as a strategic lifeline, and it is proposed to designate it as a State Highway and alternative route to SH 1.
While this has merit, there is limited funding available to Northland and this project can only proceed by either diverting funds from other important and necessary projects or, alternatively, completing the work over a very long timescale. Neither is acceptable given the expected impact of climate change and the need for action in the present.
Vision Kerikeri (VKK) believes a more realistic alternative strategy is to upgrade the existing SH network: The Far North needs a lifeline and road security which should be a greater imperative at present than fine tuning the SH1 route south from Whangarei which is taking the lion’s share of the funding.
