This seems to be the source of that quote: https://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/124611551/building-10...

Note that this is NZ dollars, and that spend is over ~16 years. I.e. ~NZ$46/year/person ≈ US$27/year/person at current rates. The article compares the costs to road and motorway costs in Christchurch.