Hope Bypass design contract awarded

Progress continues for the State Highway 6 Hope Bypass Road of National Significance (RoNS) with a contract now awarded for the project’s design.

Stantec and WSP have been selected to provide technical expertise for this next important phase of work. Their appointment secures the professional services needed to support the detailed design and statutory approvals for the project.

Richard Osborne, Regional Manager System Design, says the contract award is a significant milestone.

“We received high-quality tender submissions from multiple consultancies. Each firm invested significant time and effort in preparing their proposals, making the contract decision a challenging one.”

“We are excited to partner with Stantec and WSP to deliver this next phase of the project,” Mr Osborne says.

He says specialist assessments and investigations - such as geotechnical investigations and noise assessments - will form a key part of this stage. NZTA/Waka Kotahi and contractors will also progress other statutory requirements needed for construction during this design phase.

“We are aiming to start specialist assessments in March 2026, with detailed design completed by mid-2027.”

“It is a significant programme of work to complete and finalise designs for both Stages 1 and 2, covering the sections between SH6 and Link Road, through to SH60 Appleby Highway and SH6 Gladstone Road intersection,” Mr Osborne says.

He acknowledges the high level of public interest in the project and thanks all those in the community who attended project drop-in sessions in November last year.

“We received valuable information from landowners, businesses and the community during this engagement that will be incorporated into this phase of work. We will continue to update the community through our project e-newsletters and website, and we will be in contact with directly impacted landowners, residents, and businesses as we work through different investigations and assessments.”

“We will have another round of community drop-in sessions in late 2026 to share the detailed design with the public,” Mr Osborne says.

Construction timeframes for the project are still to be finalised and are dependent on the outcome of the Government‘s prioritisation process for the wider RoNS programme.

View larger SH6 Hope Bypass proposed two-stage implementation map [PDF, 169 KB]

Learn more about the project and sign up for project e-newsletters at:

• SH6 Hope Bypass

What the investment case proposed

The investment case proposes a 2 staged implementation approach.

Stage 1: 

• a new grade separated interchange on SH6 at Salisbury Road Extension (local road over)  
• upgrading the Richmond Deviation from a 2-lane road to 4 lanes  
• widening Lower Queen Street and Gladstone Road to accommodate an additional right turn lane  
• signalising the intersection of Lower Queen Street and Stratford Street  

Stage 2: 

• new 4-lane grade separated interchange at Lower Queen Street  
• 4-lane Richmond bypass  
• new 2-lane roundabout at SH60 intersection. 

The project will retain cycleway routes and connections. 
The designation between SH60/Gladstone Road intersection out to Eden Road in Hope is to be retained for future development.  

Background on Hope Bypass

The route of the Hope Bypass was designated in 1964. Richmond is growing at a significant rate, with development in Richmond West and planned development in Richmond South areas occurring sooner than originally anticipated.  

Due to this growth, in 2021, NZTA undertook the Richmond Transport Programme Business Case (PBC). The PBC was developed jointly between Tasman District Council and NZTA. The PBC highlighted the Hope Bypass as a long-term transportation route should additional capacity in the network be required based on future demand between Hope and Whakatu Drive. In response to this, the Hope Bypass designation (the southern end of the route) lapse date was extended from November 2023 until 1 November 2038.