The NZTA has announced an indicative alignment for the Puhoi to Warkworth section of the holiday highway:
The proposed highway is part of the Puhoi to Wellsford road of national significance which will provide better access and route security on State Highway 1 between Auckland and Northland. The indicative Puhoi to Warkworth route is 18 kilometres long, running west of the existing State Highway 1 to just north of Warkworth near Kaipara Flats Road.
The NZTA’s Regional Director for Auckland and Northland, Stephen Town, says while work can now be advanced between Puhoi and Warkworth, there are a number of geological challenges with unstable ground around the Dome Valley and Wellsford that require further investigation.
“This entire route remains our focus, and we want to develop it as quickly as possible,” says Mr Town. “We are in a position to begin consultation from Puhoi to Warkworth, and more detailed investigations will be carried out before a solution is produced for the section of the proposed highway further north to Wellsford.”
Mr Town said the NZTA was looking forward to hearing the community’s views on the proposed route from Puhoi to Warkworth.
Consultation began yesterday (16 November) with NZTA staff hand-delivering information on the proposal to property owners impacted by the indicative route.
So nothing in there on the cost of paving over the “geographical challenges”, or if this is going to be a toll road, or how much the cost will be or whether safety improvements on the existing State highway one will go ahead.
More on this over at transportblog.co.nz
The Campaign for Better Transport’s “Operation Lifesaver” got a mention in Parliament today, with Labour’s Darren Hughes reminding Parliament that this is a project with a lot of cost without substantial benefits to match:
