$500 million of infrastructure projects to be fast tracked
John Key has given details of $500 million of infrastructure projects that will be fast tracked:
- $69 million on five new schools
- $30 million on school refurbishments and maintenance at 64 schools
- $9 million for special schools facilities
- $34 million to upgrade ICT infrastucture so schools are broadband capable.
- $41 million on improvements in 11 schools
- $6 million to establish a trades academy on Southern Cross Campus in Mangere
- $28 million to help schools accelerate existing building projects that have stalled.
- $43 million on acclerating five large state highway projects (Kopu Bridge Replacement, Matahorua Gorge Realignment, Hawkes Bay Expressway Southern Extension, Muldoon’s Rimutaka Corner Easing and Christchurch Southern Motorway
- $100 million for smaller regional roading projects, with one third to be spent before 30 June.
- $105 million on upgrades and renovations to 10,000 state houses – 18 a day for 18 months
- $20 million on construction of 69 new state houses
Targeted infrastructure spending is a far better response than some of the massive pork laden stimulus packages we have seen overseas.