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Cancelled projects to affect employment in the roading sector

Author
Newstalk ZB ,
Publish Date
Mon, 11 Feb 2019, 7:00PM
12 roadway projects announced by Natioanl have been put under review by Labour. (Photo / File)

Cancelled projects to affect employment in the roading sector

Author
Newstalk ZB ,
Publish Date
Mon, 11 Feb 2019, 7:00PM

Layoffs are on the cards in the roading sector.

The previous National government promised more roads of national signficance, but Labour has diverted it's attention to public transport and maintaining current roads.

Infrastructure NZ CEO Stephen Selwood told Larry Williams that they were expecting more projects to be added to those 12 state highway projects that National had planned. 

He says the significant lurch from roads to public transport has created a lag.

"There are projects in the pipeline that are some years away, which means that with major roading projects winding down, the industry's looking at a massive hole coming up."

Selwood says that Manawatu Gorge and widening of Auckland's State Highway are expected to go ahead, but all the projects announced by National are now under review.

"The Government is spending as much as it ever has in terms of transport fund. But we're increasingly seeing more going into public transport subsidies." 

He says that only part of the East-West link in Auckland will be going ahead, which he says is a tragedy.

Without something being down, Selwood warns that many of New Zealand's best trained roading staff will move to Australia. 

He says that private capital is looking to invest in roading projects, and the Government should let them fund these 12 projects so they can go ahead.

"That will enable the public capital to go into the public transporting projects, which is equally as important and needed."

 

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