Penlink’s new two-lane road (with a separated shared path for people walking and on bikes) will provide travel choice and support connected transport networks in north Auckland, as people will enjoy reliable transport services and improved travel times between Whangaparāoa and wider Auckland.
As Auckland moves out of Alert Level 4 and into Alert Level 3, Waka Kotahi has resumed the geotechnical investigations to test and monitor the ground and water conditions in the Penlink corridor. You will see drilling rigs and people with equipment like GPS monitors. We will also use a helicopter to move machinery to a few hard-to-access areas.
Penlink will be located in a unique landscape with a wide range of highly valued flora and fauna. The findings from the investigations will provide a good understanding of the land conditions and help us design the road to protect the authentic quality of the landscape and natural features.
The investigations will involve heavy machinery such as drilling rigs, machine bore holes and flight augers. This means that on some roads in Stillwater and the Whangaparāoa Peninsula you will see our contractors doing traffic management during the investigations.
These roads include:
We will carry out the geotechnical investigations between 7.30am and 5.30pm from Monday to Friday. The physical works will start from 9 August but you will see some of us out and about from late July preparing for the works.
We will ensure that the investigations will have minimal disruption for day-time traffic and traffic flow will be maintained at all times.
The geotechnical investigations will be carried out at the following locations and dates:
| Location | Start date** | End date** |
| Ara Weiti Road | 22 September 2021 | 22 December 2021 |
| Stillwater Township | 27 September 2021 | 17 December 2021 |
| State Highway 1 close to Redvale | 12 November 2021 | 22 December 2021 |
| East Coast Road close to Redvale | 12 November 2021 | 22 December 2021 |
| Cedar Terrace | 1 November 2021 | 1 December 2021 |
| Whangaparāoa Road | 15 November 2021 | 22 December 2021 |
| Helicopter operations | 5 October 2021 | 22 December 2021 |
*All works will be carried out within the Penlink designation area and are subject to Covid alert level restrictions.
**The dates may change subject to weather conditions.
Download the brochure on the investigations [PDF, 474 KB]
Following the Government’s decision to move to COVID-19 Alert Level 3, Waka Kotahi is now able to progress with our planned work to investigate underground services in the Penlink designation.
The findings from the investigations will help us better understand the conditions and locations of the underground utility service lines. The investigations also helps us identify the suitability of certain locations for construction and impacts from the construction works.
|
Location |
Start date |
End date |
|
Ara Weiti Road |
18 October 2021 |
|
|
East Coast Road |
19 October 2021 |
|
|
Duck Creek Road |
19 October |
20 October |
|
Whangaparāoa Road |
25 October |
3 November |
|
Cedar Terrace |
20 October 2021 |
|
|
Beverley Road |
20 October |
21 October |
|
Wiriana Place |
21 October |
22 October |
Download the underground service investigations information sheet [PDF, 194 KB]
Penlink is one of the important first steps to providing people in north Auckland with real choice in the way they travel and help improve climate outcomes by providing for transport capacity and for people to travel on foot or by bike.
Substantial growth is forecast in the Whangaparāoa Peninsula, Weiti, Orewa, Silverdale and surrounding areas. As an example, in Silverdale-Dairy Flat, around 15,000 new homes are expected to be built over the next 30 years, with 6,000 of these built over the next decade.
The two-lane transport connector will also provide transport capacity for housing developments in the area and support:
The need for a new connection to the Whangaparāoa Peninsula has a long history. The notion of a bridge across the Weiti River or the ‘Weiti Crossing’ connecting Stillwater to Whangaparāoa was first identified in the 1980s.
Rodney District Council considered many options and decided that a new access corridor from East Coast Road to the Whangaparāoa Peninsula was the best option to address both transport and land-use needs for the area.
The idea for the corridor, known as ‘Penlink’ (the shortened version of Peninsula Link), was followed by scheme design and work to protect the land corridor for Penlink.
The designation, construction and operational resource consents for a two-lane road were approved in 2001. The designation allows for the construction and operation of Penlink and gave the requiring authority the ability to purchase the land required for the project. While the transport need for the project was identified, the council was unable to secure funding for Penlink.
Following the establishment of Auckland Council in 2010, Auckland Transport has undertaken work on Penlink which included significant engagement and consultation with a wide range of partners, stakeholders and property owners in 2010s.
On January 2020, the Government announced Penlink as one of the NZ Upgrade Programme initiatives and appointed Waka Kotahi as the delivery agent for the project. In June 2021, the Government confirmed funding for the full delivery of the two-lane, proposed toll road with construction due to start in 2022.
The following components will not be part of the Penlink project:
