Good news landed for the road transport industry as the April issue of NZ Truck & Driver was about to go to press.

The Transmission Gully section of State Highway 1, north of Wellington, finally appears to be  within reach of an opening date.

Significant construction progress during summer, and the deferment of some quality assurance tests till after the road opens, has seen Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency instruct the contractor to open the road before the end March.

Waka Kotahi says the recent work gives confidence the road is safe for the public to use. The remaining quality assurance tasks can be completed after the road is open as they relate to the long-term quality of the road.

Waka Kotahi General Manager Transport Services Brett Gliddon says complex negotiations are continuing with the parties contracted to build, manage and maintain the road.

“However, we are confident the motorway is now in a fit state to open, which is why we have issued this instruction, while we continue with negotiations,” Gliddon says.

“We have not been prepared to compromise on the road’s safety, however all of the critical safety assurance tests have now been completed to a standard that gives us confidence the road will be a safe, reliable route for motorists between Wellington and the rest of the North Island.

“Now that we have deferred these quality assurance requirements, we believe there is nothing substantial that can’t be finished by the end of March, which would prevent the road from opening. We have told Wellington Gateway Partnership (WGP) that we expect the road to be opened as soon as possible and that responsibility now sits with them.”

Under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) the contractor, WGP is responsible for determining when the road can be opened. Subsequent to the COVID-19 outbreak in August 2021, Waka Kotahi, WGP, CPB HEB and Ventia have been negotiating an early access arrangement, which would allow motorists to use the road before all of the Road Opening Completion requirements set out in the contract have been met. As agreement has not been able to be reached, Waka Kotahi has now formally directed WGP as the contractor to allow the public to use the road before the end of March 2022.

Several key requirements will need to be met for the road to be opened, including a final safety inspection. Waka Kotahi is also working with all the parties, including Greater Wellington Regional Council and territorial authorities, so that the remaining resource consent tasks are resolved prior to road opening.

Pavement and road surface tests are among the quality assurance tests which have not been met. Gliddon says expert advice is that the road is safe for use and there are benefits to allowing the road surface to be trafficked to bed it in before winter.

Waka Kotahi says it will not be announcing a specific opening time for the road, in order to prevent any queuing which could cause safety and congestion issues.

The new section of SH1 measures 27km and runs between Paekakariki and Linden. It avoids the congested coastal route through Pukerua Bay which is now redesignated as SH59.

The highway is one New Zealand’s largest transport infrastructure projects. More than 11 million cubic metres of earth has been moved, the largest volume of earthworks ever completed on a roading project in New Zealand.