Phil Goff says infrastructure boom will add congestion 'for some years'

The Government has announced it will make a major investment in Auckland's infrastructure.

But already, it sometimes it feels like you can't see the road for the road cones.

Appearing on The AM Show on Wednesday, Auckland Mayor Phil Goff said there's a massive backlog of work that needs to be done.

"The real problem we've got, we've had massive population growth. We did too little too slowly and that's created a backlog of work and now we've got a massive infrastructure programme underway, and with the Government's announcement today that will get even bigger," he told The AM Show on Wednesday.

"We really need to do this work because the problems we had was not road cones, it was total congestion."

Of course, it will all pay off in the end - but are we trying to do too much, too fast? There are now hundreds of different projects on the go, and it's getting harder and harder to get around.

"Honestly, it will be like this for some years," Goff says.

"Sorry to myself too, because I'm one of the victims of that because I live in the countryside, I have to travel in by car and it is frustrating."

The Government said on Wednesday it would spend $12 billion aimed at improving the country's infrastructure in a bid to modernise existing facilities, stimulate the economy and prepare for climate change.  

The New Zealand Upgrade Programme will see funding go to roads, rail, schools and hospitals, the Government announced on Wednesday.

The bulk of the money would go towards transport, with $6.8 billion being used for transport projects in Auckland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Wellington, Canterbury and Queenstown.

Of that, $5.3 million would go towards the country's roads, with $2.2 million of that in Auckland.  A further $1.1 billion would be used to fund rail.