N.R.B. Adopts Budget Of s72m For 1969

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32018, 19 June 1969, Page 1

N.R.B. Adopts Budget Of s72m For 1969

(From Our Own Reporter)

1 WELLINGTON, June 18. ‘ A roading budget of $72,853,080 —almost slm less than last year—was adopted • yesterday by the National Roads Board for the present financial year.

Spending by the board last year was some $2,100,000 more than ‘ originally expected. As a result, the opening ; balance in the National Roads Fund on April 1 ! was $1,566,919, compared with $4,170,248 at the beginning of last financial year. The rundown in its balance left the board budgeting yesterday for an unaUocated reserve at March 31 next year of $2,980,600, although some months ago it resolved to maintain a minimum reserve of s3m. Outlays last year exceeded estimates because of: The Inangahua earthquake and a record amount of flood damage which

raised spending in that category by $1,500,000 to $3,600,000. Roading associated with the Bluff aluminium smelter scheme cost s4Bo,ooo—almost twice the $250,000 budgeted. Additional land purchases to cover cases of hardship among property owners. Good weather at the end of the financial year whichenabled contractors to make faster progress than expected. Increases in motor revenue enabled the board to cover minor cases of over-expendi-ture in the State highways, counties and municipal sectors. Slightly Higher Appropriations this year for State highways, counties and municipalities are lower than the actual expenditure last year although for State highways and counties they are slightly higher than the provisional allocations approved in December.

For the present year, the board is allowing for a 2.5 per cent increase in motor revenue—mainly from petrol tax but with contribution also from mileage tax and heavy traffic fees.

Appropriations approved yesterday, with actual expenditure for 1968-69 in parenthesis, are: State highways, $36,978,100 ($38,119,404); counties, $17,962,000 ($18,073,135); municipalities, $9,872,000 ($10,053,944); administration, $3,400,000 ($3,246,686); subsidised highways, $1,445,500 ($2,177,818); miscellaneous, $1,217,480 ($499,728); reserve, $1,980,000 ($1,566,919). In total, they are almost $1,500,000 more than the December provisional avocations. New Construction

For State highways, maintenance will take 23.62 per cent of the allocation, and

new construction the balance. Motorways, including land and property purchase, will take $10,770,000 or 30.8 per cent of the total State highways allocation—which represents only two-thirds of the work considered necessary in a recent five-year survey of On rural highways, there has been some curtailment of the seal extensidh programme to provide for more strengthening and reconstruction of existing seal, and several bridge replacements have been delayed. District roads councils sought supplementary allocations of $7,211,000 for State highways, $2,391,000 for counties and $1,246,049 for municipalities. But they have been awarded only $1,176,800, $693,318 and $325,238 respectively. Estimates include: No. 11 Roads District, Nelson: $969,900. The key items are the Branch River bridge and approaches on State Highway No. 6 and the completion of the BuUer Gorge contract. No. 12 Roads District, West Coast: $1,360,000. The construction emphasis will be on the Eight Mile-Iron Bridge section, the Lake WahapoDonovans section, the Franz Josef Glacier-Haast Pass section and Duffy Creek-Crate Creek, all on State Highway No. 6. No. 13 Roads District, North Canterbury: $580,000. The emphasis is on reconstruction and bridging, the main items being the completion of Omihi-Armstrongs reconstruction, and the Washdyke and Clarence bridges, all on State Highway No. 1. No. 14 Roads District, Central Canterbury: $1,788,200. The emphasis is on motorways and motorway land purchase in Christchurch city,. for which $900,000 has been allocated. The main reconstruction works are BelfastJohns Road ($47,000), and Halswell-Tai Tapu ($68,000).

No. 15 Roads District, South Canterbury: $640,000. The main items are Dover Pass-Pukaki, and Pukaki-Ohau River, both on State Highway No. 8. The main works at present under construction in Central Canterbury are the Pinehaven-Cam Road section of the northern motorway ($53,000), the Cam RoadOhoka section ($40,000) and Cam Road underpass ($60,000), and the rail-road river bridge ($175,000). Although $400,000 has been programmed for land and property purchase, most of these funds have already been committed and a number of new works may have to be deferred to meet land purchase demands within the allocation. Works which it has been suggested may thus be delayed are seal extensions to State highways Nos 72 and 73 and, possibly, a start on the Chaneys underpass. In the Mid-Canterbury rural areas, the main emphasis is on reconstruction and seal extensions. The only major bridge is the Selwyn widening which needs $72,000 for completion this year. Supplementary Votes A total of $38,200 has been provided in supplementary votes to cover the additional costs of maintenance and construction on the new State highway from Christchurch to Lyttelton by the Lyttelton Tunnel. However, under the subsidised highways vote, a fourthyear payment of $200,000 is being made as a special commitment to the ChristchurchLyttelton Road Tunnel Authority. Within the same vote, $20,000 is provided for a test section of the tunnel road and $lOOO for landscaping. Christchurch will also get $9OOO from the board for its local transport survey.