1990s and early 2000s. In response to growing congestion, central and local government increased transport investment from around $500 million a year in 2000 to over $2 billion in 2015. This increased investment largely completed Auckland's motorway network, funded the upgrade and electrification of the city's rail network, and supported construction of the Northern Busway. Despite these improvements, rapid population growth means that transport is still a major challenge for Auckland, with congestion costing the city around $1.3 billion a year. In 2009, Paul Mees, an Australian academic who had advocated for greater public transport adoption said Auckland had "the most unbalanced transport policies of just about [any city] in the world" alongside other academics who believed the city had underinvested in public transportation. Road transport Overview There are over 7,000 km of roads in the Auckland region made up of motorways, arterial roads and local streets. All motorways in Auckland are state highways, owned and operated by the New Zealand Transport Agency. These routes have multiple lanes in each direction, speed limits of 80–100 km/h and limited access. Most arterial roads and local streets are owned and operated by Auckland Transport. Some arterial roads (mainly in rural areas but also state highways 20A and 20B that provide access to Auckland Airport) are classified as state highways and are owned and operated by the New Zealand Transport Agency. These routes range from multi-lane arterial roads with over 50,000 vehicles a day to unsealed rural roads. Motorway network An extensive motorway network was planned for Auckland in the 1950s and 1960s. Auckland's first motorway was a 3.2 kilometre section of the Southern Motorway, between Penrose and Mt Wellington, that was opened in 1953. By 2017 there was over 220 km of motorways in Auckland, carrying over 900,000 trips per day on the following routes: Northern Motorway (State Highway 1 between the Auckland city centre and Puhoi). This motorway includes the Auckland Harbour Bridge and is the main connection between Auckland and Northland, as well as the key route linking the North Shore with the Auckland isthmus. Southern Motorway (State Highway 1 between the Auckland city centre and the Bombay Hills). This motorway includes the Newmarket viaduct, passes through the Central Motorway junction and is the main connection between Auckland and Waikato, as well as the key route linking South Auckland with the Auckland isthmus. Northwestern Motorway (State Highway 16 between the