Transmission Gully roadworks will delay drivers over most of summer

Wellington commuters can expect more disruption on Transmission Gully as work is done to patch up a stretch of the Lower North Island highway for up to six months.

The New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) is planning to resurface and rebuild several kilometres of the road north of Porirua, likely meaning lane closures during the day and full closures at night.

The work is forecast to take from October until March.

It has been just three and a half years since the $1.25 billion highway opened after years of delays. The latest work relates to a legal battle with one of the road’s builders over unfinished work and quality issues.

The 27km motorway was not technically finished when it opened to the public in March 2022, but it was safe to drive on.

The incomplete works ended up being the subject of legal action in the High Court after NZTA’s expectation that work should be completed to the standard contained in the project’s contract.

Transmission Gully opened in March 2022. File photo / Mark Mitchell

The agency settled the matter out of court.

NZTA regional manager Mark Owen said the work was not unexpected, but part of the road had deteriorated faster than expected. He conceded it would be frustrating for drivers to be disrupted over virtually the entirety of summer.

“At the moment, there are some sections that are a little bit rough, and the chipsealing’s not always the most waterproof,” he said.

“[The road] was finished, acceptable for people to use, but it wasn’t complete.”

NZTA is still finalising its plan for the work, and is expected to announce a schedule and cost over the next week or so.

Owen asked drivers to be patient and said this was the last major hiccup before the highway would finally be completed.

“It’s going to take a little bit of time ... we’ve got an intensive programme to fix it so it lasts its life cycle.”

A proposal for Transmission Gully’s speed limit to be increased to 110km/h is also being considered, but will probably have to wait until after this work.