The AA welcomes the Government’s commitment to reinstating the coastal route to Kaikoura.

Transport Minister Simon Bridges today announced that the existing State Highway 1 and rail corridor to the north and south of Kaikoura would be reconstructed, and that additional funding would be made available to speed up the process.

AA Principal Advisor – Infrastructure Barney Irvine says the speed of the Government’s response to the transport situation in Kaikoura was important.

“A phenomenal effort has already been made to get the Inland Route up and running, and it’s great to see similar urgency around bringing the coastal route back on line. This will provide much-needed certainty for locals, and for all New Zealanders.”

Mr Irvine adds that there’s a lot of hard work to come to make sure the new route is resilient.

“It’s not just a case of rebuilding the road – it’s about doing it in a way where the transport network can cope if and when things go wrong in the future.”

The Government is hopeful that limited access can be provided via the coastal route in twelve months. The cost estimate for the work is between $1.4 billion and $2 billion.