The contract for the NZ Transport Agency involves the construction of the 13km stretch from Peka Peka to Ōtaki. “The tender process was extremely competitive, and the shortlist was assessed against a large number of criteria including overall cost, environmental management and community engagement,” said NZ Transport Agency Wellington highway manager Neil Walker.
It is expected the project will cost approximately NZ$330m (£182m), including site investigations, design, property costs and construction.
“Fletcher will now proceed with detailed design, environmental planning and other enabling works for the project,” added Walker. “This will include further community consultation. Major construction activities are planned to start in mid-2017.
The Peka Peka to Ōtaki Expressway forms a key part of the Wellington Northern Corridor, which is one of the government’s roads of national significance. The Transmission Gully motorway, Mackays to Peka Peka and Peka Peka to Ōtaki expressways are the main projects on the corridor.
Once these projects are complete, the Wellington’s central business district will be linked to the northern Kāpiti Coast by about 80km of four-lane, motorway, with a central barrier and grade separations throughout. It will improve safety, efficiency and journey reliability, while providing a more resilient route in the event of a natural disaster.
Enabling works will start early 2017. Major physical construction is planned to start in mid-2017 and the route is expected to open to traffic in 2020.
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