NZ Herald was given an exclusive look at the highly anticipated new motorway between Pūhoi and Warkworth as the expected opening date draws near. Video / NZ Herald
The Pūhoi to Warkworth motorway heading north from Auckland will open this weekend or shortly afterward.
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and Associate Transport Minister Kiri Allan will mark the completion of the $880m Ara Tūhono - Pūhoi to Warkworth - motorway and the $62m Te Honohono ki Tai Matakana LinkRd on Friday.
The two new roads are due to open in the days following the event, possibly early in the morning to avoid heavy traffic.
After two Covid-impacted delays, the 18.5km motorway is planned to chop 11 minutes off the drive north.
Ara Tuhono Puhoi to Warkworth motorway State Highway. Photo / Supplied
It was due to open in the summer of 2021/22 and then at Queen’s Birthday weekend last year.
There were temporary closures to both Pūhoi ramps at the weekend. The Pūhoi southbound on-ramp will close immediately after the new road opens, 24/7, for approximately four weeks.
The Pūhoi northbound off-ramp will close at night immediately after the new road opens, from 9pm to 5am daily, for approximately two weeks.
The new motorway is a big step up from the dangerous stretch of SH1 it is replacing, which the Herald found on an exclusive drive along the route in March.
The drive begins with the impressive Arawhiti ki Ōkahu viaduct after the Johnstones Hill tunnels.
A couple of kilometres up the road at the Pūhoi turnoff spans a second viaduct before the four-lane motorway begins an undulating and curved path following the natural contours of the land as much as possible with low plantings of flax, toi toi, and native shrubs adding to the scenery.
Halfway along the route are a spectacular series of steep cuts of Pakiri sedimentary sandstone and siltstone up to 65m high in thin horizontal layers and brick-like patterns laid over with wire mesh.
The steep cuts stabilise vegetation on top of the hills and give a sense of penetrating through the rock face.
There are dramatic cuts in the hillsides. Photo / File
At the halfway point sits the steel Moir Hill bridge spanning two of the giant cuts, the steepest stretch of the road with a third, crawler lane each way for trucks and other slow vehicles.
Moving on from the dramatic cuts in the hillsides comes farmland and a large forestry block scared by numerous slips from the recent storms and piles of slash in areas that have been harvested.
A prettier picture emerges towards Warkworth at the 75m long Arawhiti Pua Ngahere (Kauri Eco Viaduct) crossing a stream to a kauri forest and other significant native trees, almost within touching distance of vehicles.
South of the roundabout Auckland Transport has put the finishing touches on the 1.3km Matakana link road costing $62 million that avoids Warkworth’s infamous Hill St intersection.
Bernard Orsman is an Auckland-based reporter who has been covering local government and transport since 1998. He joined the Herald in 1990 and worked in the parliamentary press gallery for six years.
