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The coalition government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance (RoNS) programme, which could mean construction could start on the Warkworth to Te Hana section by late 2026.
The government wants a single expressway between Auckland and Whangārei built as soon as possible, and is proposing to build it as one project in three stages.
The first stage, from Warkworth to Te Hana, is the most advanced. It is already designed and has regional consent, and all appeals have been resolved.
Waka Kotahi/NZ Transport Agency says of the 143 affected properties along the route, 74 have been purchased, and the remaining 69 property owners can expect to be contacted soon.
The 26km stretch will be four lanes, and will include an 850-metre long twin tunnel in the Dome Valley, a viaduct and three interchanges located at Warkworth, Wellsford and Te Hana.
Initial funding in this year’s Budget has allowed NZTA to progress property purchases. However, no construction funding has been provided to date and the funding model will be confirmed through the accelerated delivery investment case later this year.
“An approach similar to that of the Pūhoi to Warkworth section could be an option for the Warkworth to Te Hana section,” an NZTA spokesperson says. “An open tender will be used to seek suitable partners for its delivery.”
Transport Minister Simeon Brown says taking a corridor approach means NZTA will avoid multiple procurement processes.
“It will also deliver integrated design, construction, maintenance and operations across the entire Northland Expressway, and allow greater efficiencies through scale to deliver the project up to 10 years faster than traditional approaches,” Brown says.
The government will also consider changes to the Public Works Act to speed up delivery, but has not released further details.
NZTA says the RoNS connecting Auckland and Northland will support economic growth and productivity, reduce congestion, improve safety, support housing development, and provide a more resilient roading network.
This section of SH1 carries around 19,000 vehicles a day, of which 13 per cent is heavy freight traffic, much of it carrying logs.
“It currently lacks resilience and is subject to frequent road closures, has a high risk of death or serious injury, and doesn’t effectively support tourism, freight or connectivity,” Brown says.
“It [the expressway] will bring the resilience Northland needs to thrive after years of significant road closures due to severe weather events.”
