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Certainty about construction of the first stage of the Northland Expressway, from Warkworth to Te Hana, has been welcomed by Transport Minister Chris Bishop.
The New Zealand Transport Association released its project pipeline for Roads of National Significance (RoNS) on July 9.
NZTA grouped RoNS projects into three phases. The Warkworth to Te Hana section comes under phase one, and is in the final stages of procurement with construction confirmed to start before the end of the year.
The next stage of the expressway, the Brynderwyns part, comes under phase two, which means it is being prepared for construction. “NZTA will also progress route protection of the Brynderwyns project as part of the Northland Expressway,” Bishop confirmed.
But the final stage, extending the expressway to Whangarei is a phase three project.
Work on these projects will progress at a slower pace than those in phase two, with some projects needing preparation for route protection.
Landowners whose properties lie directly in the path of the proposed phase three of the expressway received letters in October last year, revealing that the four-lane highway will plough through private homes and farms.
A NZTA spokesperson has confirmed that the Te Hana to Whangārei corridor is now progressing to the route protection phase, a key milestone in the development of the expressway.
“This significant step ensures the necessary land can be secured for future construction,” the spokesperson said.
“It provides landowners with greater certainty, supports long-term planning, and enables a flexible delivery pipeline for the corridor.”
Publication of the pipeline plan was welcomed by the National Road Carriers Association.
“NRC is pleased to see progress on these important projects as they add much needed resilience, safety and productivity,” NRC general manager for policy and advocacy James Smith said.
“As the projects reach their construction stages it will also provide much needed work for NRC members in the civil sector.”
