Northland Corridor newsletter

9 October 2024

Completed in 2022, Ara Tūhono - Puhoi to Warkworth provides a smooth ride for motorists and freight travelling between the regions and beyond

Project Update - October 2024

Tena koe and welcome to our first edition of the Northland Corridor newsletter.

We’re excited to be moving at pace to deliver the Northland Corridor with drillers already in the ground in section 1 of the corridor between Warkworth and Te Hana. The Northland Corridor is a 100km stretch of 4 lane, mainly grade separated expressway, connecting Auckland and the sunny North. It's part of the Government’s Roads of National Significance programme confirmed in the Government Policy Statement on land transport 2024. We know there is huge support for the project and that Northlanders are eagerly anticipating updates on our progress.

Stretching from Warkworth to Whangārei, the road will address the critical resilience and safety issues facing the current road. Northland has one of the worst safety records in the country and SH1 over the Brynderwyn Hills was closed in both directions last year for 36 days and closed southbound only for 37 days – totalling 73 days.

The new road will unlock economic growth and productivity by moving people and freight efficiently, quickly, and safely across the region, support housing development and provide more resilience during extreme weather events.

Connecting to Pūhoi to Warkworth in the south, we’ll design and construct the corridor from south to north in 3 sections: Warkworth and Te Hana, Te Hana to Port Marsden Highway and Port Marsden Highway to Whangārei. Ara Tūhono - Warkworth to Te Hana is designated and consented with property purchases underway and we’re planning to commence construction of this section by the end of 2026. We’re also assessing previous work North of Te Hana to determine the best route to take forward. See the map below for more details.

The Government has agreed in principle to an accelerated delivery strategy and we’re considering a wide range of funding, financing, and delivery tools to deliver this project quickly and cost effectively.

Site investigations underway for Ara Tūhono - Warkworth to Te Hana

Investigations now underway between Warkworth and Te Hana will provide more information about local ground conditions to inform design, understand key ground risks, and better inform project costings. Over the next 2 years, teams are undertaking a range of activities including geotechnical drilling, mapping, and surveys.

The first phase of work began at the end of September and will run through until January 2025. The first phase will include over 100 boreholes, with drilling expected to extend between 20 and 200 metres below existing ground levels. Boreholes will take up to 5 days to complete, with deeper holes expected to take up to 10 days. Machinery and plant, along with support vehicles will be required to undertake this work.  The photos below are from the first day of investigations and show a typical site set-up.

To minimise disruption to businesses and residents, we’re undertaking our investigations in discrete, safe locations. Our teams will ensure the appropriate environmental and safety controls are established including ground protection, fencing and safety barriers. Sites will be remediated following the completion of each investigation.

Minister of Transport Hon Simeon Brown put out a press release which you can read here.

Brynderwyn Hills, recovery works completed

Bryndweryn Hills Update

Recovery work through the Brynderwyn Hills completed during the 2024 closure has provided us with a more reliable road for the medium term while we progress the Brynderwyn Hills alternative section of the Northland Corridor.

During the closure more than 1,000 people were inducted to work on the project removing approximately 237,000 cubic metres of earth from the hillside. A widened shoulder 2km long created during the closure allows us to now more easily clear slips with less disruption to traffic. Laying a coat of asphalt in late 2025 will complete the recovery work.

We are grateful to the community for their patience during the work and to key stakeholders who worked closely with us sequencing works to support the needs of freight and tourism and updating their communities.

110km Speed Limit Consultation

NZTA has recently consulted on a proposed speed limit change from 100km/h to 110km/h on the Northern Gateway Toll Road and Ara Tūhono - Pūhoi to Warkworth.

These 2 sections of SH1 provide faster, safer and more resilient connections for people travelling between Auckland and Northland. The new route has changed the way people move around by reducing travel times and improving journeys, and providing an alternative, more resilient route to the existing old SH1 which has been impacted by severe weather events.

These sections of motorway were designed and constructed to high safety standards which means we can consider increasing the speed limit to 110km/h. Safety features include at least 2-lanes in each direction providing safe passing opportunities, physical separation between opposing lanes to prevent head-on crashes, and mostly straight, wide, smooth alignment.

Before we can change a speed limit, we are legally required to consult on the proposed new speed limit. We use this feedback to help us understand the views of our partners, stakeholders, and the community when we consider a speed limit change on our state highways.  We are currently in the process of considering all the feedback received and reviewing it alongside our technical and safety assessments.

Once this has been completed, we can make a recommendation to the Director of Land Transport for approval to implement a change. This process could take up to 6-12 months before any new speed limits are legalised and installed, subject to approvals. Details of the Director’s decision is then published on our website. The speed limit remains at 100km/h until this process is complete.

You can find out more information about this speed review by heading to our website.

Tolling

The Government Policy Statement on land transport 2024 introduced a new expectation for NZTA to consider tolling to support the construction and maintenance of all new roads.

Tolling provides an opportunity for an additional source of revenue, supporting faster delivery of infrastructure, providing safer and more efficient routes, and protecting the existing funding in the National Land Transport Fund. The Land Transport Management Act 2003 allows a toll to be established, as a mechanism for funding road infrastructure and sets out the process required.

Tolling assessments are designed to analyse tolling feasibility, including how a potential toll road might interact with the wider transport network.

NZTA is in the early stages of assessing the Northland Corridor’s suitability as a tolled road. We’ll have more information on this as the project progresses.

More information

For more information on the Northland Corridor, please visit nzta.govt.nz/projects/connecting-northland or contact us at NorthlandProject@nzta.govt.nz

We’ll be out and about in Northland over the summer, updating you on the project. Stay tuned for a list of places we’ll be in a coming newsletter.