Puhoi to Wellsford Road Moves Closer

in General by Jon C — March 10, 2010 at 1:18 pm | 3 comments

The Puhoi to Wellsford roading link has moved closer today with NZTA awarding a contract  for investigation into the route.

One option being investigated is to build the Warkworth Bypass first to relieve congestion at that point.

However, NZTA still needs to know where the road north and south of that links into the bypass route so the full route will need to be known before itseek consents for that section.

Puhoi to Wellsford is approximately 38kms long and will run from the northern end of the Northern Gateway Toll Road near Puhoi to north of Wellsford.

Transport minister Steven Joyce says that at this early stage the first half of the road from Puhoi to Warkworth will be complete within the ten year period.

The second half (Warkworth to Wellsford) will be more challenging to finish in that time.  However,” that remains the Transport Agency’s goal. “

This is the first major step in the process to secure the alignment for the new road.  The next step is to consult with the community about the preferences for the road – this will begin in a few months.

“The government’s $10.7 billion commitment to state highway funding over the ten year period means that funding is not the big issue for this project but the reality is design, consultation and consenting processes all take time.

“No work had been done on this project prior to it being confirmed as a road of national significance last year so on our current timetable this will be the fastest ever major highway project completed in this country from start to finish.”

The government announced the Puhoi to Wellsford section of State Highway 1 as a road of national significance in March last year and work began after that to scope the project.

Tags: NZTA Puhoi Transport minister Steven Joyce Warkwaorth