Subscribe to RSSMore Details On Puhoi -Wellsford Link
The investigation work for the development of the Puhoi-to-Wellsford Road, announced today, will take 15 months.
The Puhoi-to-Wellsford section is expected to be substantially completed within 10 years.
The study will decide what alignment the road will follow.
It will be done by Sinclair Knight Mertz (SKM), described as specialists in engineering and environmental issues.
NZTA’s Tommy Parker, calls it the first step in a process to obtain and protect land for the planned highway, and to apply for the necessary resource consents to construct it.
“A key part of the investigation work will be looking for opportunities that enable the NZTA to deliver this important piece of infrastructure as quickly as possible. The new highway is going to be built through some difficult and challenging country, and a lot of information and data is needed before we can decide on the best options for constructing it.”
The investigation work will look at a wide range of aspects to the project. These include:
- location and form of road
- social impacts such as noise, air quality and the effect on the local community
- tangata whenua and the cultural impacts of potential routes
- property impacts
- geotechnical and topography considerations
- ecological impacts
- effect on historic areas
- connections to the local roading network
- walking and cycling access
- potential construction staging of the work
- cost of the route constructability of the road
- opportunities for acceleration of the project.
In addition to the investigation works, the NZTA will begin consulting with communities between Puhoi and communities arpimd June for their views about the proposed highway.
The planned corridor is approximately 38km long. It will include a bypass of both Warkworth and Wellsford.
EARLIER: Puhoi - Wellsford moves closer
3 Comments
Seems odd when the price of petrol is going up, but I understand that a bypass around Warkworth and Wellsford is needed. I think a single lane bypass’s should be constructed not needing the huge investment as mentioned, also the couple of tight corners through Dome Valley smoothed out. The leftover funds could be spent on improving the rail in Auckland.
Funny how there’s no mention of the cost of the contract.
$2b plus for a holiday motorway! I cant believe it, but I do from National anyway! Grr it makes me so mad.