|
Consultation has now closed. Thanks to everyone who made a submission during the consultation process. Public consultation is a valued part of the process, and the insights gained through submissions will be considered in the decision-making process. The next step is for the NZTA Board to consider the information and make a recommendation to the Minister of Transport. |
The SH1 Belfast to Pegasus Motorway and Woodend Bypass (B2P) is a 10km upgrade of SH1 stretching north from the SH1/SH71 Lineside Road interchange to just beyond the current Pegasus roundabout. The project includes a 6km bypass of Woodend and four-laning the remaining section of SH1. These improvements will improve reliability, safety and efficiency for those travelling through the region.
The new motorway will future-proof access through North Canterbury by increasing the capacity and efficiency of SH1. The new motorway is expected to reduce travel times by about 3 minutes on average and up to 10 minutes during peak and holiday periods.
The more efficient and reliable motorway will support economic growth in Woodend, Pegasus and Ravenswood and ensure freight can get where it’s needed quickly and efficiently. Reduced traffic volumes on Main North Road through Woodend will lower crash risks at local intersections and make it safer and easier for people to access and move around Woodend, strengthening connections within the community.
The new motorway is being designed and built to the Roads of National Significance motorway standards, delivering a safe, reliable and modern motorway.
Why we are assessing B2P as a tolled road
Tolling provides a way for the users of a road to contribute towards the costs of building, operating, and maintaining the road. This means existing funding can be redirected to new projects, getting them started sooner.
The Land Transport Management Act 2003 allows a toll to be used to help pay for road infrastructure projects and explains the process we need to follow.
Since 2024, the Government has asked NZTA to assess all new state highway projects to see whether they are suitable for tolling as outlined in the Government Policy Statement for land transport 2024.
Land Transport Management Act 2003(external link)
Government Policy Statement on land transport (GPS 2024)(external link)
Tolling assessment
- Tolling assessment summary – Belfast to Pegasus Motorway and Woodend Bypass [PDF, 1.5 MB]
- Toll strategy summary – Belfast to Pegasus Motorway and Woodend Bypass [PDF, 1020 KB]
- Belfast to Pegasus and Woodend Bypass toll modelling technical report [PDF, 6.3 MB]
- Belfast to Pegasus Motorway and Woodend Bypass toll modelling addendum report [PDF, 2.1 MB]
Tolling to support the new motorway
NZTA has assessed B2P’s suitability as a tolled road and investigated the effects a tolling scheme would have on the local network. We are now seeking public feedback on a scheme that proposes two toll points:
- North of Pineacres (the Woodend Bypass section)
- South of Pineacres (between Pineacres and SH71 Lineside Road).
Toll prices
The prices being consulted on are $1.25 at each toll point for light vehicles and $2.50 for heavy vehicles and would be the same rate 24-hours a day. Vehicles travelling the full length of the motorway between the SH71 Lineside Road interchange and Pegasus (under both toll points) would pay a total of $2.50 for light vehicles and $5 for heavy vehicles.
The tolls were determined by comparing different options to find a scheme that balanced helping cover some of the motorway’s maintenance and operation costs, while avoiding pushing too much traffic back onto other parts of the road network.
The toll prices we are consulting on are:
| Section | Light vehicles | Heavy vehicles |
|
North of Pineacres (Woodend Bypass section, between the Williams Street interchange at Pineacres and Pegasus) |
$1.25 | $2.50 |
|
South of Pineacres (On the four-lane motorway between the Williams Street interchange at Pineacres and the SH71 Lineside Road interchange) |
$1.25 | $2.50 |
The toll prices being consulted on are in 2025 dollars. The opening of the new motorway is about 4 years away, and factors including Consumer Price Index increases between now and the road opening could affect the actual price at the time of the road opening.
Why two toll points are being proposed
Under current legislation, tolls can be applied to both new roads and existing roads that are physically or operationally connected to the new road.
This applies to the Belfast to Pegasus Motorway and Woodend Bypass project, which includes building a new section of road (the Woodend Bypass) and upgrading the existing section of State Highway 1 (SH1) between Lineside Road and Pineacres to four lanes.
As part of the tolling assessment, several tolling options were considered. These included placing toll gantries either north or south of the Williams Street interchange at Pineacres. Analysis showed that both options would lead to significant traffic diverting onto local roads. It also created an issue of fairness—residents in and around Woodend would either avoid paying a toll altogether or pay the same toll as those using the entire length of the new road.
To ensure a fairer system based on how much of the new or upgraded road a driver uses, two toll points are proposed, one on each side of the Pineacres interchange. Each toll point would charge $1.25, rather than a single $2.50 toll at one location. This approach helps maintain good revenue levels while offering a more equitable tolling system. However, it will still lead to traffic diverting onto other roads.
Availability of alternative routes
All toll roads in New Zealand must have a viable, untolled alternative route available to road users. As the toll proposal for this project has a toll point north and a toll point south of Pineacres, there are various alternative routes.
The existing SH1 route through the Woodend township (Main North Road) will be the signposted alternative untolled route at the northern end of the project, and Williams Street and Smith Street will be the signposted alternative untolled route at the southern end. From Smith Street, vehicles heading south into Christchurch can use the motorway on-ramp to access the Christchurch Northern Corridor. While we’re required to identify specific untolled alternative routes, drivers tend to spread out across the wider road network based on their preferences, destination and local knowledge.
The proposed toll scheme may result in some drivers choosing to stay on existing roads instead of using the Belfast to Pegasus Motorway and Woodend Bypass route. Traffic modelling shows that when the road opens, tolling could result in around half of the expected motorway users continuing to use the current route or seeking other options.
The existing SH1 through Woodend would still see a considerable drop in vehicle numbers once the new highway opens.
Traffic modelling shows that with tolls applied north and south of Pineacres, vehicle numbers on Main North Road entering Woodend would drop to about 13,000 vehicles per day compared to about 23,000 vehicles per day if the bypass was not built. Without the toll, traffic numbers entering Woodend would be about 7,500 vehicles per day. More information on how a toll could affect local roads is available online.
Long term, other tolling sites around the country have seen more traffic move from local routes to the tolled routes over time as the benefits of the new road become clear.
Alternative route map
Have your say
Consultation has now closed.
Thanks to everyone who made a submission during the consultation process. Public consultation is a valued part of the process, and the insights gained through submissions will be considered in the decision-making process. The next step is for the NZTA Board to consider the information and make a recommendation to the Minister of Transport.
Next steps
Following the consultation period, we will provide an engagement report on our webpage so you can see the feedback we received. All submissions and feedback collected via the public consultation will be summarised to the NZTA Board and the Minister of Transport. This will provide insights into the level of community support for the tolling scheme in the region.
The NZTA Board holds the delegation for recommending a toll road to the Minister. The Minister then makes a recommendation to Cabinet, which makes the final decision. Cabinet approves the necessary order to start tolling.
Privacy and disclosure disclaimer
The information you send us on this online form or in a written submission will be used by NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) to help inform our consultation for the Toll Proposal for Belfast to Pegasus Motorway and Woodend Bypass. NZTA may publish in part or in full the information you submit, for example in a consultation report, but we will not include any information that could be used to identify an individual person. If you have indicated you are an authorised representative of an organisation, we may publish your organisation’s name. Please clearly indicate if your comments contain commercially sensitive information or, if for some other reason, they should not be disclosed. If you would like to request official information from us, please don’t include that in your submission. Instead, please direct it to the project team at b2p@nzta.govt.nz so we can respond to it in a timely manner.
You can find more about how we hold and protect your information, and our obligations under the Official Information Act on our website.
