This page relates to the 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme.

Introduction

 This is the NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) policy on local road connections with state highways

Date of issue: Updated June 2024 | NZTA may review and amend investment policies at any time, including in response to any changes in the Government Policy Statement on land transport.

Purpose

To set out the allocation of responsibility for costs of road work involving both state highways and local roads.

Policy statement

State highway and motorway boundaries should be located so that boundaries of responsibility are clear and practical for all aspects, including designation, construction, renewal, maintenance and control. 

Cost responsibilities for work involving both a state highway and a local road must be based on these underlying principles that costs:

  1. reflect where benefits are generated on state highways or local roads
  2. recognise that the organisation initiating the work should bear primary responsibility for costs
  3. are acceptable to whoever is responsible for and controls the asset.

Cost responsibilities shared between NZTA (for its own activities) and an approved organisation must be negotiated and agreed in writing based on these principles. These principles are numbered in order of priority.

Examples of cost responsibilities 

Below are examples of specific situations where these principles have been applied. These may be complex and comprise multiple components of different situations. In cases not covered below, cost responsibilities are to be negotiated on a case-by-case basis according to the cost principles and priority order listed above.

Connecting new state highway projects

Where a new state highway project is constructed with connections to existing local roads, all work within the final state highway reserve, including overbridges, underpasses and interchange ramps, is a state highway charge. This does not apply to work requested by an approved organisation that will be of a higher standard than (or in addition to) the work required by the state highway.

All other work is eligible for funding assistance in the approved organisation’s programme, unless otherwise negotiated.

The cost of upgrading local roads as a consequence of the new connections is a local road charge.

Connecting a new state highway crossing without connections

Where a new state highway project is constructed across an existing local road without connections between the roads, all work, including any work to adjust the local road, is a state highway charge. This does not apply to work on the local road of a higher standard than (or in addition to) the work required by the state highway.

All other work is eligible for funding assistance in the approved organisation’s programme.

New local road connecting to an existing state highway

Where a new local road, including roading for private developments, is connected to an existing state highway, construction of the local road, including any overpass or underpass, is a local road charge.

The cost of any access ramps is a state highway charge, except where the primary purpose of the new connection is to provide access to a private facility, in which case the owner of that facility meets the full ramp costs.

Where there is no clear distinction between the ramps and the bridge structures, for example at a directional interchange, the ramp/bridge costs are to be shared according to the proportion of ramp to bridge costs for an equivalent standard interchange with the same number of ramps.

Any associated state highway upgrading needed to cater for local traffic that is effectively crossing the state highway, such as the provision of auxiliary state highway lanes, is to be a local road charge. This is because provision for traffic crossing the state highway is deemed to be a function of the local road network.

Local road crossing an existing state highway without connections

Where a new local road is constructed across a state highway without connections to the state highway, costs cannot be charged to the state highway programme.

The work is eligible for funding assistance in the approved organisation’s programme.

Upgrade of an existing intersection between a state highway and a local road

Where an existing intersection between a state highway and a local road is upgraded, reconstructed or relocated, all work within the state highway reserve is a state highway charge.

Any realignment or upgrading of the local road resulting from the project is a state highway charge. We (NZTA as investor) will, however, require the approved organisation to make a financial contribution for any work that exceeds the minimum level of upgrading necessary to the project.

State highway intersecting with unsealed local road

Where construction work is undertaken on a state highway and involves an intersection with an unsealed local road, the unsealed side road approach to the state highway must be sealed. The work is a full charge to the state highway project.

Agreement of the approved organisation must be obtained.

Maintenance of local roads intersecting state highways

The maintenance of the carriageway of a local road, intersecting at grade with a state highway, is a state highway charge for a distance of 10 metres from the limit line position or to the end of the seal, whichever is the lesser.

This maintenance includes: 

  • pavement maintenance
  • maintenance of regulatory signs associated with the intersection
  • maintenance of pavement marking related to traffic control of the intersection, where this is appropriate
  • maintenance of raised traffic islands related to the traffic control of the intersection.

Further information

Highway maintenance interface management guide 

The Multi-Party Funding Policy provides general information about how costs are shared between multiple organisations.

Multi-Party Funding Policy