Tasman Mayor Tim King and Nelson Mayor Nick Smith - PRESS RELEASE

 

Intersection of Queen St and Gladstone Road - Photo courtesy of Tasman District Council

Mayors welcome bypass commitment 

Tasman Mayor Tim King and Nelson Mayor Nick Smith have welcomed the commitment from the National Party as part of its 2023 Transport Policy to get on and build the Hope Bypass, extending from south of Ranzau Road to north of Queen Street.
 
“The congestion around the Queen Street and Gladstone Road intersection is hugely frustrating and costly for the region. We have welcomed the work Waka Kotahi has done on the planning for the Hope Bypass but are disappointed its construction is not in their 10-year plan. The congestion just keeps getting worse, particularly with the rapid growth in Richmond. This commitment to prioritise it will be welcomed by the thousands of people in Tasman who use this critical highway every day,” Mayor King says. “It also complements the significant investment Waka Kotahi has made to our new public transport service”.
 
“The Nelson-Tasman region contributes over $100 million a year in fuel taxes and road user charges into the National Land Transport Fund yet we risk being short-changed in getting no substantive investment in new highways this decade. We got Queen Elizabeth Drive in the 1980s, the Richmond Deviation in the 1990s, the Stoke Bypass in the 2000s, the Ruby Bay Bypass in the 2010s and we need the Hope Bypass in the 2020s. The region needs increased investment in all modes of transport covering cycling, buses, cars and trucks to support growth. The new eBus service is welcome but the biggest concern that has been raised with me by drivers is keeping on time with the bus depot in Richmond West and the congestion in Lower Queen Street. The Hope Bypass is complementary to making the new bus service work,” Mayor Nick says.
 
The two mayors welcome the commitment to this investment in the Nelson-Tasman region, estimated at $250 million. This commitment also shows the merits of the Nelson Regional Development Agency presenting to Wellington our infrastructure priorities, of which Nelson Hospital and the Hope Bypass were the joint top two most important projects.

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