Ashburton District roads benefited from significant investment during the last financial year, with close to $8.8 million spent resurfacing, rehabilitating, metalling and upgrading the network.
The council’s 2018/19 Annual Report shows it spent $2.5m resurfacing 125km of road, and almost $2.8m rehabilitating a further 98,000 square metres, while 379km of unsealed road was metalled at just under $1m.
The Ashburton District has the third largest rural road network in the country, with more than 2,600km of road. It’s longer than the entire length of New Zealand.
To help with maintenance and capital projects, many of the Council’s projects receive a 51 per cent subsidy from the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA), however two major projects completed during the year were fully funded by the council to the tune of over $1m of surplus funds.
The council funded upgrades to Poplar Road west of Hinds, where a final 5.15km section was sealed costing $963,000. The entire road is now sealed. Similarly, $335,772 was spent widening Winslow Road northeast of Hinds.
