WC 324: Road improvements

This page relates to the 2021-24 National Land Transport Programme.

Introduction

Work category 324 provides for:

• improvements to or upgrading of existing roads and intersections within the existing or widened road reserve
• deviations onto a new road reserve, where the original road is closed, including any associated new road structures.

Qualifying activities

Work category 324 is available to the following activity classes:

• Road to Zero (where qualifying activities form part of the Waka Kotahi board endorsed Road to Zero Speed and Infrastructure Programme Business Case)
• local road improvements
• state highway improvements.

Road to Zero

Local road and state highway improvements

Qualifying activities outlined below may not be eligible for inclusion in all three activity classes.

Examples of qualifying activities

Examples of qualifying activities include, but may not be limited to:

• road realignment, re-grading or widening, including seal widening
• improvements to intersections
• passing lanes or slow vehicle bays
• safe system aligned corridor and intersection infrastructure, such as median and roadside barriers, roundabouts and speed management devices
• approaches to bridge replacements costing in excess of $50,000
• retaining structures, culverts and replacement cattle stop
• stock underpasses
• all traffic signs, pavement markings, traffic signals, lighting (including underground) etc, necessary to bring the improved facility into service
• reinstatement of footpaths, cycle facilities and vehicular crossings that are part of the improvement project (reinstatement will be to the appropriate standards for the One Network Framework classification)
• discharge of street water by means of pipes or open drains into natural watercourses, where no artificial drainage system exists, or into artificial drainage systems (sumps, mains or open drains) on, adjacent to, or across from the road
• property purchases costing less than $500,000 for local road projects.

You can discuss with us (Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency as investor) whether other potential activities not listed above might also be eligible for inclusion in this work category.

Note: any application for improvements that will increase the level of service (eg pavement smoothing) must provide evidence of substantive benefits. Examples of such benefits include reduced vehicle operating costs and greenhouse gas emissions, reduction in deaths and serious injuries, and reduced travel time costs.

Exclusions

Work category 324 excludes:

• a new cattle stop where none previously existed
• pavement rehabilitations due to high maintenance costs – these are funded under work category 214
  Work category 214: Sealed road pavement rehabilitation

• traffic services renewals – these are funded under work category 222
  Work category 222: Traffic services renewals

• projects solely to create new footpaths, cycleways or off-road cycleways – these are funded under work category 451 or 452 respectively.
  Work category 451: Walking facilities
  Work category 452: Cycling facilities

Safety activities not included within the Road to Zero programme

Engagement with the Waka Kotahi Road to Zero Speed and Infrastructure Programme Development Team is required to discuss any safety-focused activities or projects not included within the programme. This will ensure an understanding of the project scope and outcomes alignment with the Road to Zero strategic speed and infrastructure model and the impact the new activity will have on existing activities within the programme.

Funding assistance rate

The usual funding assistance rate (FAR) is:

• the approved organisation's normal FAR
  Normal funding assistance rates

or

• the approved organisation's special purpose road improvements FAR
  Other funding assistance rates

or

• 100% of the Waka Kotahi state highway costs.

Submitting activities for NLTP consideration and funding approval

Approved organisations and Waka Kotahi (for its own activities) submit these activities using the improvement activity module in Transport Investment Online (TIO).

Transport Investment Online(external link)

User guides for TIO are available in TIO.

End-of-year carryover

TIO will automatically carry over the unspent allocation every year. Therefore it is vital that approved organisations and Waka Kotahi (for its own activities) declare the unused allocation for completed projects by making a cost–scope adjustment via the reviews module in TIO.

Note: a future upgrade to TIO will allow the project to be marked as completed.