Displaying 1 - 24 of 410 results.

Freight is rolling again this morning on the South Island’s Main North Line, ten months after November’s Kaikoura earthquake, Transport Minister Simon Bridges announced today.

  • Simon Bridges
  • Transport

Transport Minister Simon Bridges was joined by Wellington City Mayor Justin Lester today to turn the sod on the Cobham Drive Cycleway, part of Wellington’s refreshed Urban Cycleway Programme.

  • Simon Bridges
  • Transport

Transport Minister Simon Bridges today announced the selected option for the Mount Messenger Bypass in Taranaki following a decision by the NZ Transport Agency Board last Friday.

  • Simon Bridges
  • Transport

Motorists will now be able to travel up to 110 kilometres per hour on some of New Zealand’s key expressways, made possible by the Government’s significant investment in new and safer roads, Associate Transport Minister Tim Macindoe announced today.

  • Tim Macindoe
  • Transport

The first free and open Mobility as a Service (MaaS) Marketplace app, Choice, has been launched in Queenstown today, Transport Minister Simon Bridges says.

  • Simon Bridges
  • Transport

Work gets underway next month on safety improvements on a stretch of State Highway 1B between Taupiri and Hamilton, Associate Minister of Transport Tim Macindoe has announced.

Mr Macindoe visited the site today to make the announcement.

  • Tim Macindoe
  • Transport

A new interchange and trench on State Highway 20A will make journeys between Auckland Airport and the city safer and more reliable, Transport Minister Simon Bridges says.

  • Simon Bridges
  • Transport

A major slip clearance milestone has been achieved with work crews now able to access the entire coastal corridor north of Kaikoura for the first time since the November 2016 earthquake, Transport Minister Simon Bridges says.

“Yesterday teams working from the north and south of the significant slip at Ohau Point met up, marking a significant point in the effort to restore the road and rail links to Kaikoura,” Mr Bridges says.

  • Simon Bridges
  • Transport

Rail Safety Week begins today, and Associate Transport Minister Tim Macindoe is encouraging everyone to stay alert around railway tracks and trains.

“Last year, there were 101 near-misses between pedestrians and trains at level crossings and railway stations, and there have already been 58 near-misses this year,” Mr Macindoe says.

“Rail Safety Week raises awareness about rail safety, and encourages safe and sensible behaviour around trains and tracks.

  • Tim Macindoe
  • Transport

Transport Minister Simon Bridges has released a joint report by the Government and Auckland Council, which updates work undertaken as part of the Auckland Transport Alignment Project (ATAP) to understand the required level of transport investment needed in Auckland over the next decade.

“ATAP is the strategic plan for Auckland’s transport infrastructure investment, policies and services to be delivered over the next three decades.

  • Simon Bridges
  • Transport

Improvements to the intersection of State Highway 14 and Hospital Road in Whangarei are making it easier and safer for the growing number of people moving through the area, Transport Minister Simon Bridges says.

The improvements have involved the NZ Transport Agency, Northland DHB and Whangarei District Council working together to make it easier for hospital staff, patients and visitors to access and leave the hospital.

  • Simon Bridges
  • Transport

Transport Minister Simon Bridges has appointed Captain James (Jim) Veere Dilley to the Oil Pollution Advisory Committee (OPAC) for an open-ended term, commencing on 11 August 2017.

OPAC gives advice to Maritime New Zealand on matters related to marine oil spills, and the fixing and levying of oil pollution levies.

“Captain Dilley has wide-ranging experience in the marine sector, including 12 years of experience with marine oil spill responses, having worked as a Regional and National On-Scene Commander,” Mr Bridges says. 

  • Simon Bridges
  • Transport

Operators of electric vehicles (EVs) are set to benefit from rule changes which will see heavy electric vehicles exempt from road user charges and potentially allow drivers of electric vehicles to use bus and high occupancy vehicle lanes, Transport Minister Simon Bridges says. 

From 1 September 2017 heavy EVs will be exempt from road user charges, which otherwise apply to vehicles that do not pay for petrol at the pump, until they make up two per cent of New Zealand’s heavy vehicle fleet.

  • Simon Bridges
  • Transport

The Government is investing $7 million in a major safety upgrade project to help reduce serious and fatal crashes on the Taupo Bypass section of State Highway One, Associate Minister of Transport Tim Macindoe says.

Ten kilometres of the East Taupo Arterial Road, between the Wairakei roundabout and the SH5 Napier-Taupo Road roundabout, will be widened and a median flexible safety barrier will be installed. Rumble strips will also be added and minor improvements will be made to the two roundabouts.

  • Tim Macindoe
  • Transport

KiwiRail has linked up the track between Picton and Christchurch for the first time since November’s Kaikoura earthquake devastated the line, Transport Minister Simon Bridges announced today.

“Staff held a small ceremony near Rakautara, north of Kaikoura this morning, and completed the final weld,” Mr Bridges says.

“This is an important milestone in getting the line open again, and in easing the pressure on upper South Island roads.”

  • Simon Bridges
  • Transport

More flexibility in small passenger services, mandatory alcohol interlock sentences, and tougher penalties for fleeing drivers will all become law following the passing of the Land Transport Amendment Bill today, Transport Minister Simon Bridges says.

Mr Bridges says the Bill aims to promote better regulation, improved safety, and greater economic growth and productivity.

“New technologies are rapidly emerging, so we need to ensure we have the right regulations in place to allow innovation to thrive while managing safety risks,” Mr Bridges says.

  • Simon Bridges
  • Transport

A month after the Waterview Tunnel opened to traffic, road users are benefiting from quicker, more reliable travel times and traffic flows across both local roads and Auckland’s motorway system, Transport Minister Simon Bridges says.

“Around 60,000 vehicles are using the Waterview Connection each day, with more than 2 million vehicles now having travelled through the twin tunnels between the suburbs of Owairaka and Waterview,” Mr Bridges says.

  • Simon Bridges
  • Transport

Transport Minister Simon Bridges today cut the ribbon to mark the operational completion of the $43 million State Highway 2/58 Haywards Interchange project.

Traffic has been on the new grade-separated interchange since April 2017, but work has continued on the project to complete the access ramps and park and ride carpark. While some minor work remains to apply the finishing touches to the project, today’s ribbon cutting marks the operational completion for all modes of transport.

  • Simon Bridges
  • Transport

The first stage of the $25 million Waterview Shared Path is now open, opening another key link in Auckland’s growing walking and cycling network, Transport Minister Simon Bridges says.

When complete, the Waterview Shared Path will connect the suburbs of Waterview and Mount Albert, with access to the Unitec Campus and planned future transport hubs.

  • Simon Bridges
  • Transport

Transport Minister Simon Bridges and Energy and Resources Minister Judith Collins have announced the Government’s 2017 electric vehicle (EV) registrations target has been achieved 5 months early.

“This is great news and a reflection of the work undertaken by the Government and private sector in normalising the purchase and integration of EVs into the New Zealand vehicle fleet,” Mr Bridges says.

  • Simon Bridges
  • Judith Collins
  • Energy and Resources
  • Transport

Transport Minister Simon Bridges and ACC Minister Michael Woodhouse have welcomed an initiative for the development of a national cycling education system aimed at getting more kids riding bikes safely.

Transport Minister Simon Bridges announced today that the Transport Agency and ACC have approved an initial $2.7 million of funding to establish the system by June 2018. The total investment including delivery of cycling education is expected to be around $24 million over four years.

  • Simon Bridges
  • Michael Woodhouse
  • Transport
  • ACC

Transport Minister Simon Bridges has welcomed the NZ Transport Agency Board’s approval of $231 million of improvements to the 60km section of State Highway 1 between Clarence and Oaro.

“The Government’s priority is to restore the pre-earthquake transport links to Kaikoura and its surrounding communities, and ensure these vital links are resilient long term,” Mr Bridges says.

  • Simon Bridges
  • Transport

Transport Minister Simon Bridges says the first of three tourism-related transport projects in the Gisborne-Tairāwhiti region is nearing completion.

“The Horoera Bridge leading to the historic East Cape lighthouse will be replaced in a four day operation from 24 July,” Mr Bridges says.

  • Simon Bridges
  • Transport

Work is set to start next month on a cycleway through central Dunedin that will improve safety for cyclists, pedestrians and all road users, Transport Minister Simon Bridges says.

“Fulton Hogan has been awarded an $8 million contract to build new cycle lanes on the north and southbound streets of the State Highway 1 one-way system between the Dunedin Botanical Gardens and Queens Gardens,” Mr Bridges says.

  • Simon Bridges
  • Transport