A board of inquiry has finally granted designation and resource consents for the construction of the Pūhoi to Warkworth stage of the Ara Tūhono – Pūhoi to Wellsford road of national significance (RoNS) says the New Zealand Transport Agency.
The board’s decision represents a step towards improving the safety, reliability and resilience of State Highway 1 between Northland and Auckland for freight, tourism and drivers, says the Transport Agency’s highway manager, Brett Gliddon.
Gliddon says the certainty provided by the board’s decision allows NZTA to now give priority to considering the best means of procuring detailed design and construction of the project.
Construction is anticipated to begin between 2016 and 2019, with the project estimated to take around five years to build.
More than 180 submissions, the majority in support of the project, were received on the Transport Agency’s proposal to build the 18.5km extension of the Northern Motorway (SH1) from the Johnstone’s Hill tunnels to just north of Warkworth.
“The board of inquiry has carefully considered the concerns of submitters and balanced those with our desire to give future constructors of the project flexibility to innovate and deliver the best solution for road users and the community, and provide value for money,” says Gliddon.
