Motorway extension creeps north

Alignment planning for the extension of the northern motorway from Puhoi to Warkworth and Wellsford will start in the first quarter of next year, in a $1 billion project that will see four laning as far as Wellsford.

New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) state highways manager, Auckland, Tommy Parker, says the project, which has been given the green light by Government as one of seven routes of national significance to be progressed urgently, is behind the ‘eight ball’ compared to the other six projects.
“This is the least developed of the seven,” he says. “There are no plans as yet to table.”

NZTA principal project manager, Puhoi to Wellsford, Brett Glidden says NZTA is setting up an internal structure to action the project and will engage a consultant early next year to investigate possible alignments for the road, before any designations can be made.

“That will take six to 12 months,” he says. “We have work to catch up on.”
The road from Puhoi to Warkworth is likely to be tolled, following Government policy. He says a route offline, but within the current state highway corridor, would be easier to construct, bypassing Warkworth outside the town boundary, and could be as far west as Wylie Rd. The route may well go around Schedewys Hill, the most complex part of the route.

“However, I stress these are just options at this stage and decisions will be made following the investigation.”

Warkworth to Wellsford will be four laned, but may take the form of an expressway rather than a motorway. While the standard of the road would be similar, it would not have the controlled on-ramp off-ramp access points of a motorway.
“We plan to upgrade the road through the Dome Valley but it is likely the new road will be on a new alignment,” he says. “An option to bypass Wellsford to the east near the Corry Block will be looked at, among others.”

Mr Parker says an alliance will probably be formed to construct the road, similar to the Northern Gateway Alliance, which built the Orewa to Puhoi motorway extension.
“All our contracts require a submitters to demonstrate how they could use local contractors,” he says. “That could include local surveyors.”