The project team meeting with the Stillwater community and public about the tolling proposal.

Thank you for your feedback

Thank you to everyone who called, emailed, posted and completed their online submissions and feedback on the Penlink tolling proposal.

Public consultation closed on Sunday 13 February.

Engagement was positive and we received an overwhelming response of 3,337 submissions from the public and a range of key stakeholders. This is reflective of a highly engaged community who are eagerly anticipating this new transport connection.

More detailed information and analysis of these submissions will be publicly available on the Penlink webpage in mid-2022 as part of the consultation summary report.

The post-consultation approval process for road tolling projects.

Next steps

The tolling of new roads comes under Section 46 of the Land Transport Management Act 2003 and requires an Order in Council process to be completed before the road is opened.

Waka Kotahi has a three-step process to follow when assessing whether a road will be tolled or not. The public consultation and feedback report will conclude the third and final step in this process.

All feedback provided through the consultation process will be taken into account in the development of the tolling proposal for consideration by the Minister of Transport.

A copy of the public feedback report will be provided to the Minister of Transport who will make a decision about recommending tolling for this road to Cabinet. 

The final geotechnical borehole drilling to inform design prior to construction. Photo taken 3rd February 2022.

Tender update

We will be delivering the Penlink project through an alliance with a team of constructors, design consultants and Waka Kotahi staff who will work together jointly to undertake the final design and construction of the new 7km road.

Waka Kotahi uses a competitive procurement process to determine who the alliance partners will be and commenced a detailed tender process in September 2021 with the two short-listed proponents.

The proponent teams are:

• Team 1: Fulton Hogan, HEB Construction, Aurecon and Tonkin & Taylor
• Team 2: Fletcher Construction, Acciona, Beca and Jacobs

Tender submissions from each team were received on 25 February 2022 and we have started a process of tender evaluation.

We expect to announce the preferred team in mid-April 2022 and confirm the alliance agreement in June 2022.

Works are expected to get underway in late 2022 and be completed in late 2026.

About Penlink

Penlink will form a vital connection for north Auckland, linking the Whangaparāoa Peninsula with wider Auckland. The 7km road will offer greater transport capacity and travel choice and support planned growth in Silverdale, Dairy Flat and the Hibiscus Coast in the decades to come.

The two-lane road with a shared use path for people walking and on bikes will also provide surrounding communities more sustainable transport choices by supporting better transport access and providing a safer journey.

Penlink is part of the New Zealand Upgrade Programme, the Government’s $8.7 billion investment in growing areas across the country. Communities can look forward to transport improvements that provide more travel choices, help people get where they’re going safely and grow our economy, while responding to the impacts of travel on the environment.

Contact us

For more information, please contact us at penlink@nzta.govt.nz or 0800 PENLINK (0800 7365 465).

You can also visit www.nzta.govt.nz/penlink for general information on Penlink and to subscribe our e-updates.