COVID-19: Northland road maintenance uninterrupted

Essential work required to keep Northland’s roads open and safe will continue during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.

The Northland Transport Alliance, working with Waka Kotahi - the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA), has developed guidelines specifying maintenance that must continue on the region’s roading network. The guidelines will ensure Northland roads remain open and safe for travellers, and also protect the health and safety of road crews and their suppliers during the pandemic lockdown.

Far North District Council General Manager – Infrastructure and Asset Management, Andy Finch, says it is vital the safe movement of essential goods and services can continue uninterrupted on the region’s roads. How to achieve this during the reminder of the COVID-19 Level 4 restrictions has now been clearly defined.

He says road maintenance will now fall into four categories:

• Incident response, includes clearing slips, traffic management, and making roads safe following major events such as storms.
• Road safety requires all road surfaces are kept safe for travellers and freight, and ensures road surfaces are free from significant defects, road markings are in place and visibility lines are maintained.
• Resilience and access includes the ongoing maintenance of drains, removal of debris, repair of missing or damaged road features, and the continued monitoring of the road network.
• Other, non-urgent maintenance to be deferred during the lockdown.

“This agreement provides certainty for Northland councils, their staff and contractors. More importantly, the people of Northland can be sure their primary transport links are maintained and safe, despite the lockdown restrictions we are all now living through.”

The Northland Transport Alliance was formed in 2016 by the Far North, Whangarei, and Kaipara district councils, in partnership with the Northland Regional Council and NZTA. The aim is to share resources and deliver better, more cost-effective transport options for all Northlanders. The NTA is responsible for all new works, renewals and maintenance on local roads.

The NTA is in regular contact with the Government through the NZTA and will respond to any priority changes required to help combat the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus.