First asphalt layers added to Te Ahu Turanga – Manawatū Tararua Highway project

The progress on the Te Ahu Turanga – Manawatū Tararua Highway project at Parahaki Bridge, looking east towards Manawatū River.

Progress is being made on Te Ahu Turanga – Manawatū Tararua Highway project.

The new highway, a road over the Ruahine Range connecting Woodville and Ashhurst, now has the first layers of asphalt in place after asphalting work started in early May.

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) project spokesman Grant Kauri said the appearance of the smooth, black asphalt layers was a sign the project was entering a crucial stage.

“The first layers of asphalt have gone down in Fill 9 at the Ashhurst end of the project, which is close to where earthworks began back in January 2021. This milestone is the culmination of three-and-a-half years of hard mahi by our teams, which have laid so much of the groundwork for us to get to this point.”

Kauri said 110,000 tonnes of asphalt would be used on the project.

“That’s about 9200 truckloads. Two asphalt plants will supply the asphalt volume required, one of which will be established on site from July.”

Elsewhere around the project, good progress continues to be made on the major structures, with another significant milestone being reached at the 300-metre-long Parahaki Bridge across the Manawatū River.

He said the team had completed the first stitch connecting the main bridge deck between Pier 1 and the southern approach, with all segments of the bridge deck expected to be completed by the end of the year.

Over the river at the Eco-Viaduct Bridge, seven of 11 sections of the bridge deck have been poured. The final pier is due to be completed this month, after which the remaining bridge deck sections will be poured. This bridge is also on track for completion by the end of the year.

Working alongside the construction teams are the project’s landscapers, who have planted more than 55,000 plants since the start of the season in April. The team aims to put in 560,000 plants, bringing the project plant total to 1.8 million.

Kauri said the highway was scheduled for completion in mid-2025.

“Our intention is to open the highway as soon as possible, so our focus remains on constructing a robust, resilient road to restore this key transport link for the lower North Island.”

The project is a collaboration between NZTA, Fulton Hogan, HEB Construction, Aurecon, WSP, Rangitāne o Manawatū, Rangitāne o Tamaki nui-a-Rua, Ngāti Kahungunu ki Tāmaki nui-a-Rua, Te Runanga o Raukawa (Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga and Nga Kaitiaki ō Ngāti Kauwhata).