Brynderwyns slip adds uncertainty for Northland businesses and motorists

A slip closed one lane of SH1 over the Brynderwyns for seven hours on Thursday night causing traffic delays.

Another slip on the beleaguered Brynderwyns has Northlanders concerned businesses will have many more years of uncertainty before a four-lane alternative solution is delivered.

But a Northland transport leader says the Brynderwyns section of the Government’s Northland Expressway project is moving at pace, and though the current stability of the hills is “risky”, work will be finished sooner than expected.

The southern side of SH1 over the Brynderwyn Hills was down to one lane for seven hours after a slip on Thursday evening.

NZ Transport Agency [NZTA] confirmed a “small slip” came down about 7.30pm.

“The road was reduced to a single lane while contractors cleared the slip material and cleared the road,” a spokesman said.

The lane reopened about 2.30am on Friday.

Road crews would continue to monitor the area, he said.

Northland Regional Transport Committee (RTC) chairman Joe Carr admitted confidence in past work to repair the Brynderwyns, done during a four-month closure last year, was low.

“We’re worried about the level of risk,” he said.

“Every time we get heavy rain, everyone’s praying it doesn’t hit the Brynderwyns.

“Everyone’s anxious about it.”

While Northland leaders, including Carr, are rapt with continued progress on the four-lane Northland Expressway from Auckland to Whangārei, bad weather has motorists frequently worried about the Brynderwyns’ endurance.

Northlander Eve Lawrence said the repeated Brynderwyns closures were hurting businesses, particularly in tourism.

Many take to social media - particularly the Northland Road Closures, Flooding and Hazards Facebook page - asking about the state of the road.

Apart from Thursday’s slip, another slip badly damaged cars and blocked part of SH1 over Easter when Northland was battered by heavy rain.

Northlander Eve Lawrence, who lives in Waipu, said the repeated closures were hurting businesses, particularly those in tourism.

Lawrence, a former board member of the Tourism Export Council of New Zealand, used to run Haka Tours and travel to and from Auckland.

Factoring in closures at the Brynderwyns was “frustrating”, Lawrence said.

“That road is a key point in the infrastructure network to get to Northland.

“There are other routes, but businesses need to consider their fuel spend and driving hours,” she said.

“When the Brynderwyns close, they either don’t run those tours, or they’re cut short.

“The local economy misses out.”

The Government announced it was accelerating a four-lane highway between Auckland and Whangārei last July.

The first stage of the project – 26km from Warkworth to Te Hana - is expected to be finished by 2034.

Phase two includes Te Hana to Port Marsden – including the alternative to the Brynderwyn Hills - and phase three is Port Marsden to Whangārei.

Slips on SH1 over the Brynderwyns are not uncommon during heavy rain, like this one that happened over Easter.

There is no timeline for these sections.

However, Transport Minister Chris Bishop revealed in April that the preferred route over the Brynderwyns will go from Warkworth east of SH1 and over the Brynderwyn Hills.

Lawrence said she didn’t feel confident that the alternative route would be finished.

She pointed out that the 18km stretch of highway from Pūhoi to Warkworth took seven years to build.

“That was relatively simple; the new one up north ... there’s more to consider.

“The likelihood of it taking longer is high.”

Lawrence believed it would take more than 15 years to complete.

“With changes of government, who knows if it’ll get finished at all.”

However, Carr believes construction of the Brynderwyns section could be finished by the end of the 2027 construction season, which was in 2028.

Northland Regional Transport Committee chairman Joe Carr [left] says work on the alternative Brynderwyns route could be completed sooner than expected.

“We’re [the RTC] pushing to get construction from Warkworth to Te Hana, then the Brynderwyns section done concurrently.

“By mid next year, they’ll be going full bore on doing geotech assessments of the Brynderwyns.

“I believe we will see a commitment before the next general election.”

Carr said any Brynderwyns closures came at a huge economic cost to Northland.

“People think we’re not reliable for business up here.

“Getting this done is pretty important to us.”

Grant Harnish, owner of Salt Air in Paihia, said he was surprised at the recent Brynderwyns slip as it hadn’t rained much that night.

“No-one” had confidence in the current state of the Brynderwyns, Harnish said, though he felt better about it now than before four months of repair work was done.

“It’s incredibly difficult, but I don’t know what else they can do in the meantime.

“It’s all about risk and reward.

“We could spend $100m on that, and everyone’s going to have to pay for that somehow.”

The Northland Expressway, one of the Roads of National Significance, will be delivered as a public-private partnership (PPP).

Three groups of construction and infrastructure companies will bid to build the next section from Warkworth to Te Hana after the shortlist was confirmed in June.

Jenny Ling is a senior journalist at the Northern Advocate. She has a special interest in covering human interest stories, along with finance, roading, and animal welfare issues.