Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand has opposed NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi’s plan to toll the 11.5km Manawatū Tararua Highway, saying the proposal doesn’t stack up and comes far too late in the project.

Te Ahu a Turanga – Manawatū Tararua Highway is a new road being built over the Ruahine Range, providing a safe and resilient route between Woodville and Ashhurst after a major slip in April 2017 made SH3 through the Manawatū Gorge impassable. It is due to open in 2025.

NZTA is consulting on a proposal to toll the route, with light vehicles paying $4.30 and heavy vehicles $8.60.

Transporting New Zealand interim chief executive Dom Kalasih said the road freight body is supportive of tolling appropriate routes to relieve pressure on the National Land Transport Fund, but the Manawatū Tararua Highway isn’t a suitable project.

“Tolling the road is going to divert more than 3000 vehicles per day, including a significant number of trucks, over the existing Saddle Road route. Saddle Road is unsafe and not fit for purpose,” he said.

“The relatively low numbers of expected users (10,902) are also only narrowly within NZTA’s 10,000 vehicle per day tolling test, and we’ve seen local push-back over that modelling.

“This is in the context of the proposed toll covering about 28 percent of construction costs over 35 years. Road freight companies using the route will have no choice but to pass that cost onto their freight customers, with the toll ultimately being paid by consumers.”

Kalasih said with the road due to open next year, getting buy-in from affected communities at such a late stage is proving incredibly difficult, particularly after the major slip in 2017.

“We accept that NZTA are in a tough spot here – they’re responding to a clear expectation from the Government to consider tolling on all new roads,” he said.

“However, we don’t want to see the benefits of a safer, more efficient, resilient piece of modern roading undermined. This road isn’t a nice-to-have, it’s an essential regional link.”

Kalasih said that Transporting New Zealand is still supportive of tolling on appropriate projects, and was awaiting further information and meetings with NZTA on the Ōtaki to north of Levin Highway and Takitimu North Link before finalising its position on those proposals.