The $877 million Pūhoi to Warkworth motorway is finally set to open before the end of this month.
The project extends the four-lane Northern Motorway (SH1) 18.5km from the Johnstone’s Hill tunnels to just north of Warkworth and is expected to cut the journey by 11 minutes.
The opening of the motorway follows significant delays after it was originally set to open at the end of 2021. The delays have been blamed on the COVID-19 pandemic and lengthy lockdown periods which has added an extra cost to its original $710m price tag.
It is being built through a Public Private Partnership (PPP) contract awarded in 2016 to private consortium Northern Express Group (NX2). Its subcontractor includes a joint venture between Fletcher and Spanish group Acciona.
Once open, there will continue to be ongoing work for a number of months to fully complete the project, NX2 says.
This includes work on the Pūhoi on and off-ramps, slip repairs, seasonal planting/landscaping, and final clean-up of works areas; including removal of machinery and equipment, and tidying up the land no longer required for the motorway operation.
The remaining work will largely take place away from the main motorway and have minimal or no impact on the road users, NX2 says. The most significant work that needs to take place is to the Pūhoi on and off-ramp.
The Pūhoi southbound on-ramp will close immediately after the new road opens, 24/7, for approximately four weeks.
Pūhoi residents, residents south of Moir Hill Rd, and southbound traffic from ‘Old SH1’ will not be able to access the southbound on-ramp during the construction period and motorists travelling south from Pūhoi will be detoured via the free route on Hibiscus Coast Highway while the work is completed.
The Pūhoi northbound off-ramp will close at night immediately after the new road opens, from 9pm to 5am daily, for approximately two weeks.
Pūhoi residents and travelling public will not be able to exit at the northbound off-ramp during this time and will need to take the free route via Hibiscus Coast Highway, exiting SH1 from Grand Drive, Orewa.
