I had the privilege of attending the turning of the sod for the Warkworth to Te Hana section of the Northland Corridor this morning along with Councillor Rachael Williams who is KDC's representative on the Regional Transport Committee. This is one of the most significant infrastructure projects Northland has seen in several generations, and it’s great to see it getting underway.
For Kaipara, this is huge. We will have a four lane motorway all the way from Auckland right to our doorstep. Better links south will make it easier and more reliable to move people and freight, support our local businesses and primary producers, and create more opportunities for investment and growth right here in Kaipara.
The new route will begin west of Warkworth, pass east of Wellsford and Te Hana, and reconnect with SH1 near Waimanu Road just south of the Auckland-Kaipara boundary. It will feature 15 bridges, two underpasses, numerous large culverts, 12 wetland stormwater treatment basins and twin tunnels through Kraack Hill above Dome Valley.
A big thank you to our government ministers, Northland and Whangarei MPs and former mayors who advocated for this project over the years and helped to make it a reality.
Initial work will focus on detailed design, site preparation and enabling works before major construction activity ramps up next year. The motorway is expected to open to traffic in 2033
Photo L to R group: Northland Regional Council Councillor and Chair of the Regional Transport Committee Joe Carr (NRC), Chairman of the Ngāti Manuhiri Settlement Trust Mook Hohneck, Kaipara District Council Mayor Jonathan Larsen, MP for Northland Grant McCullum, MP for Whangarei Hon. Dr Shane Reti, Minister of Transport Hon. Chris Bishop, Prime Minister Rt Hon Christopher Luxon, Parliamentary Under-Secretary to the Minister for Infrastructure MP Simon Court, Kaipara District Council Councillor and Regional Transport Committee representative Rachael Williams, Head of Business Development for ACCIONA Concesiones Tomaz Jimenez and Ngāti Manuhiri Settlement Trust Chief Executive Nicola Rata-MacDonald MNZM.
Photo: With Councillor Rachael Williams talking to PM Christopher Luxon about the motorway's benefits for Kaipara.
