Motorway tolling system in place

It will take 30 to 35 years for tolls on the new stretch of motorway between Orewa and Puhoi to pay the $180 million debt accrued in building the road.

NZ Transport Agency regional transport planning manager Tommy Parker says the toll was set on the premise that 70 percent of traffic, or 14,000 vehicles a day out of a total average of 20,000, will use the Northern Gateway Toll Road instead of the two free alternative routes. Heavy vehicles are expected to prefer the new road because it will shorten the journey and has easier gradients.

“I personally think these estimates are conservative,” he says.
When the debt has been paid, the toll will be removed. The total cost of the project is $360 million.

The first electronic toll road built in New Zealand, the 7.5 km motorway extension has been one of New Zealand’s most challenging roading projects, both in engineering and environmental spheres.

Toll gantry cameras set up at the southern end of the road will capture registration plate numbers of all traffic passing through, regardless of speed, changing lanes or tailgating. Images of the cars are not stored, only registration numbers. Once a payment transaction is completed, stored information is encrypted.

“We don’t have the capacity to retain the images of vehicles so we won’t be able to tell who is in the cars or at what speed they are travelling,” Mr Parker says. “These cameras are not set up for surveillance and no Government department will have access to stored information except by court order.”

It will be all hands on deck to get the road open to the public for Auckland Anniversary Weekend. An official opening ceremony will be held on Saturday, January 24, whether the road is ready for the public or not. If sealing is completed in time, the road will be open to the public the next day.

NZTA wants to encourage people to register early by setting up prepay accounts, so their tolls are automatically paid. Two other alternative methods of paying are pay-as-you-go (within three days of using the toll road) or cash or credit card payment at booths at each end of the motorway extension.



BOX Tolls and methods of payment

Tariffs one way: Motorcycles, nil;
Cars and light commercial vehicles, $2;
Heavy vehicles over 3.5 tonnes, $4;
No additional charge for pulling trailers or caravans.

Payment methods:

Prepay account: visit www.tollroad.govt.nz or call 0800 40 20 20;

Pay-as-you-go: visit www.tollroad.govt.nz or call 0800 40 20 20, Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm before toll road opens, plus Saturday, 9am to 2pm after it opens (except on statutory holidays). Must pay within three days of using toll road.

Pay by cash, eftpos or credit card: payment points on SH1, northbound, at BO Connect Dairy (Dairy Flat) and, southbound, Titfords Bridge (south of Puhoi).

Fines apply for failure to pay.


Enviro facts

The Northern Gateway Toll Rd is 7.5 kms long and has six bridges and two tunnels

The design protects native wild life and bridges have been built over native forest rather than cut down trees.

750,000 native shrubs and trees have been planted along the road.

The road took four years to build but finished ahead of the projected date of mid 2009.