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There is still no indication when the Puhoi to Warkworth motorway will open, but it definitely won’t be next month.
A Waka Kotahi spokesperson says it is still working on the revised programme of works from NX2, the consortium building the motorway, which sets out realistic timeframes, including an opening date that is achievable within the context of the current and ongoing impacts of Covid-19.
The motorway was first slated to open last December, but this was shifted to May after Covid delays. Waka Kotahi says it recognises that lockdowns, alert level restrictions and ongoing supply chain constraints have impacted NX2’s ability to meet the May opening date.
The stakes are high for NX2, which faces a $250,000 a day penalty for every day it goes over an agreed completion date.
Waka Kothai says negotiations regarding associated costs are being discussed.
“We will announce the new opening date as soon as it is confirmed.”
Meanwhile, NX2 relationship manager Jonathan Green told a Warkworth Area Liaison Group meeting this month that 166 works completion tests had to be completed, inspected and signed off before even one vehicle was allowed on the road.
“Within this there are about 1200 construction packages that all need to be done and inspected. There is still a long way to go before this can be achieved,” he said.
Motorway signage pointing to Warkworth was raised as an issue at the meeting.
There was concern that unless it was clear, travellers would not bother doubling back south at the top of the motorway to the town. Green agreed to take these concerns back to NX2.
Green was also asked if the completion of the intersection with SH1 and the Matakana link road could be advanced, so the link road could open as soon as it was finished.
“Hand on heart, I can’t answer that,” he said.
Motorists heading north will be given a taste of the motorway in late May, when traffic is diverted off SH1, between Puhoi and the tunnels, to allow work on this stretch of road. At the northern connection to SH1, between May 2 and 5, there will be a full road closure from Hudson Road to Kaipara Flats Road each night between 9pm and 5am. This will allow road sealing of this area.
Waka Kotahi provided the following update:
Construction works – complete
• One-third of the total road pavement laid – or 52,000 tonnes of pavement
• The Arawhiti ki Ōkahu and Arawhiti ki Pūhoi viaducts
• Hibiscus Coast highway widening
• Street light installation at the southern connection
• 3100m of kerb and channel
• 500,000 plants in the ground
• 15,000m3 of mulch spread
• Five of 12 stormwater treatment wetlands completed
Construction works – still to do
• Paving and asphalting across the project, including
the southern connection on and off ramps
• Resurfacing works at the northern intersections
• Completion of the E530 culvert
• Foundations and placement of artworks
• Landscaping, including fencing, mulching and planting
• Wire rope and w-section barriers project-wide
• Further kerbing construction
• Completion of median and verge sealing
• Completion of stormwater management systems
• Street furniture and road sign installation
• Slip-form barriers at bridges
• Completion of culvert works
• Completion of constructed wetlands
• Safety, compliance and assurance tests
To watch a flyover of the project taken in February, visit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMf0LDtOgkE
