The formal opening of registrations of interest for the first stage of the Northland Expressway at this week’s NZ Infrastructure Investment Summit has been welcomed by National Road Carriers Association (NRC).

NRC CEO Justin Tighe-Umbers said the Northland Corridor project is important to enable road freight to serve Northland and grow Northland’s economy.

“We need to urgently get construction underway so that Northland is served by a resilient expressway that bypasses the ever-fragile Brynderwyn Range. Public Private Partnerships, also known as PPPs, that are the focus of the upcoming NZ Infrastructure Investment Summit are an important tool for getting investment and ensuring a pipeline of work for contractors.”

Tighe-Umbers said PPPs make road building more affordable as contractors face lower risk.

“Combined with Public Works Act changes just announced to enable the Crown to acquire private land more quickly for some public projects listed in the fast-track legislations as well as for the Roads of National Significance it is great to see the Government is getting on with building much needed infrastructure.”