The programme, which has been seven months in the making, was approved by the Otago Regional Transport Committee on Friday and committee members expressed their eagerness to see work begin.
But one major hurdle remains to be cleared before the diggers move in and that is obtaining government approval, through the board of the New Zealand Transport Agency (formerly Transit).
It is due to meet on July 31 to consider about 15 similar programmes from across the country.
Committee chairman Stephen Woodhead told the Otago Daily Times on Friday much of the committee's work, since the change of government, had been in adapting the programme to meet the criteria of the new administration which demands more economic benefits from roading projects.
"We've tried to amend our programme to meet those criteria, at the last minute, with the aim of getting some runs on the board, some rubber on the road, and some projects actually done.
That's what it's all about."
Every aspect of roading in Otago in the next three years is in the programme and improvements to the Caversham bypass, on State Highway 1, is top of the priority list for new, major highway projects.
The committee settled on a $33.3 million "option 1" version of the project that would see the "four-laning" of the city end of the southern motorway and some improvements at Lookout Point - but including a pedestrian overbridge, rather than a more expensive vehicle overbridge.
The agency's acting regional director, Ian Duncan, told the meeting the Caversham project did not meet the Government's criteria for national funding ("n funding") and it was more likely to qualify for limited regional or "r funding".
Otago is entitled to $100 million of "r funding" over 10 years, but with the bulk of that already earmarked for other projects, Mr Woodhead said the committee was reluctant to go there.
"There's a limited pool of `r funds' and the New Zealand Transport Agency has been dipping its hands into the `r pool' and using it to fund other projects.
The money is still there in a written form, but when you go to use it, the piggy bank's empty.
They're in the mode, at the moment, of paying back `r funds' that they've borrowed."
Queenstown Mayor Clive Geddes considered the previous government had given undertakings over the funding of the Caversham project and Dunedin deputy mayor Syd Brown believed it had been listed as a "special category" project.
The meeting decided to pursue the matter with a letter to the agency board.
Also on the list is the $16.3 million realignment of State Highway 88 past the new Forsyth Barr Stadium.
The proposal for a new Kawarau Falls bridge remains in the programme, but with no funding for the next two years.
Work on the Dunedin to Port Chalmers cycleway accounts for $7,122,328 of money for walking and cycling facilities.
The only other "top priority" in that category is a pedestrian and cycle underpass linking Clyde with the Otago Central Rail Trail.
The committee should learn in August how much of its programme is approved by the Government.
