Motorway opening still months away

The latest opening date for the new motorway between Puhoi and Warkworth is the second quarter of this year.

Waka Kotahi has issued a statement refuting claims that it is “holding up” the road opening.

Acting chief executive Brett Gliddon says Waka Kotahi wants to see the new section of motorway open as soon as possible.

“Under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) contract for this project, the timing of the road opening is decided by the Northern Express Group (NX2), the private consortium which is responsible for the finance, design, construction, management and maintenance of the motorway,” Gliddon says.

“The road can only open after all of the contractually agreed safety and quality assurance requirements have been met. Building a road that meets these tests is the responsibility of NX2 and its subcontractor, Fletcher/Acciona Joint Venture.

“The road is not open yet for the simple reason that the physical works have not been completed by the contractor, and the required independent quality assurance and safety tests have not been carried out.”
Te Honohono ki Tai – the Matakana link road – will open in tandem with the new motorway.