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There has not been a single serious crash on the new Ara Tūhono – Pūhoi to Warkworth motorway in its first year in operation, according to NZTA Waka Kotahi data.
Between June 16, 2023 and June 17 this year a total of six crashes were reported on the new motorway, none of them involving injuries.
In 15 instances, vehicles hit median barriers – which NZTA said did their job of preventing vehicles from colliding with other vehicles, or from veering off the road.
By contrast, over the 12-month period before the motorway opened, the then-state highway between Warkworth and Pūhoi – now known as Pōhuehue Road – accounted for 29 crashes. Two of those were fatal, two involved serious injuries, five caused minor injuries and 20 had no injuries reported.
In the two-and-a-half years before the motorway opened, there were 105 crashes on the Warkworth-Pūhoi road.
Three were fatal, seven were serious injury crashes, 29 involved minor injuries and 66 were non-injury crashes. (NZTA pointed out that road traffic nationwide, and consequently the number of crashes, dropped during covid Level 4 lockdowns after March 2020.)
The NZTA data is derived from the Crash Analysis System database. Figures for the new motorway apply to the section from Pūhoi Road to the Pukerito roundabout just north of Warkworth.
An average of 20,000 vehicles travelled the new road each day during its first year, roughly the same number as used the old route before the motorway opened.
But the motorway’s capacity to cope with heavier usage significantly decreased holiday traffic congestion, enhancing the connection between Auckland and Northland, NZTA said.
A peak of some 31,500 vehicles travelled along the motorway on December 27, and roughly the same number again on January 2. In the year prior to the motorway opening, the traffic peak recorded on the old Warkworth – Pūhoi route was about 27,500, on December 30, 2022.
“It’s great to see the contribution of this road towards reduced congestion and improved journeys across the north Auckland transport network continue,” NZTA portfolio manager Mark McKenzie said.
“It has proven to provide a resilient gateway to Northland, as well as improved safety for all those who use the wider network.
“People are saving up to 20 minutes on their return journeys, with the road separating local traffic from traffic transiting through the area. This has eased congestion on the old SH1 and opened up access to popular destinations between the Auckland and Northland regions.”
NZTA added that the new motorway surface seal and drainage had proven to be resilient, withstanding a number of storms over the year.
The motorway project was a public-private partnership between NZTA and the Northern Express Group (NX2), which financed, designed and constructed the road, and will continue to maintain it for the next 24 years.
Non-critical works and quality assurance tests have been carried out over the past year, and finishing touches in the coming months will require some overnight closures. NZTA says these will be advertised in advance, via its website and social media channels.
On July 1, jurisdiction for the old SH1 reverted to Auckland Transport. The 16.5km route between McKinney and Billing Roads was renamed Pōhuehue Road, an option approved by the Rodney Local Board at a meeting in May (MM, May 27).
