The current highways programme is one of New Zealand’s biggest ever infrastructure investments and is a key part of the Government’s National Infrastructure Plan and recognised in the Government Policy Statement on Land Transport Funding.
The seven roads of national significance (from north to south) are:
- Puhoi to Wellsford
- Completing the Western Ring Route, Auckland
- Victoria Park Tunnel, Auckland
- Waikato Expressway
- Tauranga Eastern Link
- Wellington Northern Corridor
- Christchurch motorways
Completing the seven roads of national significance will allow people and freight to move more safely and efficiently throughout New Zealand as well as helping create a more reliable and resilient transport network.
The programme will provide traffic benefits, travel time savings, crash reductions and vehicle operating cost savings. There are also wider economic benefits including the reduction of business costs resulting in increased productivity and positive changes to the labour market.
About the Wellington Northern Corridor
The Wellington Northern Corridor is being developed as a 110km four-lane expressway from Levin to Wellington Airport and is made up of the following projects (south to north):
- Wellington Inner-City Transport Improvements (Terrace Tunnel duplication, Buckle Street to Cobham Drive which includes transport improvements around the Basin Reserve, a second Mt Victoria Tunnel, widening Ruahine Street and Wellington Road, and a new 2.5km-pedestrian and cycle facility between the Basin Reserve and Cobham Drive.)
- Aotea Quay to Ngauranga
- Linden to MacKays (Transmission Gully)
- Kapiti Expressway (MacKays to Peka Peka, Peka Peka to Otaki)
- Otaki to Levin
Benefits
The Wellington Northern Corridor projects will provide the following benefits:
- Support the growth strategy for Wellington by improving the flow of people, goods and services.
- Improve access in and out of the capital, and to key destinations such as the hospital, port, airport, CBD and ferry terminal
- Unlock economic growth and productivity for Wellington through more efficient movement of people and freight
- Improve the resilience of the transport network through a more robust and safer road between Wellington and central North Island.
Information on Wellington Northern Corridor projects
More information on the Wellington Northern Corridor projects can be obtained through the following links:
