- Hon Kieran McAnulty
The ribbon has been cut on the Peka Peka to Ōtaki expressway, in time for the holiday season and the start of a bumper summer for tourists in New Zealand.
"Peka Peka to Ōtaki is the latest part of the Government's investment into the lower North Island transport network," Kieran McAnulty said.
"Connecting with the MacKays to Peka Peka Expressway and Transmission Gully Motorway, Peka Peka to Ōtaki will make it more reliable and safer for people and goods to travel through the lower North Island.
"Peka Peka to Ōtaki provides people with a safer way to travel, more reliable travel times and less congestion at major pinch points north of Peka Peka. The continuous four-lane route also helps connect communities along the corridor, lets freight move more efficiently and bolsters the economy. Additionally, it creates greater network resilience in that another transport route is available to road users.
"The Government is upgrading New Zealand's transport infrastructure to future proof the network for future generations to come, securing New Zealand's economy and supporting our regions to thrive.
"Delivering on projects such as Peka Peka to Ōtaki helps address our current infrastructure deficit, improve road safety, and meet our future needs caused by population growth and climate change.
"Our road safety vision is an Aotearoa where no one is killed or being seriously injured on our roads. We've set an initial target of reducing the number of people dying or seriously injured by 40 percent by 2030. Achieving this target requires improving all parts of the transport system, including safer roads, vehicles, drivers and speeds.
"Peka Peka to Ōtaki is built to the highest safety specifications and will provide a much safer route for road users. The new expressway will also see fewer vehicles transiting through the roads around Ōtaki, creating a safer environment for locals and visitors," Kieran McAnulty said.
Minister McAnulty said the new road is a testament to the massive amount of work from all involved in its construction
"I'd like to acknowledge the hundreds of people who have worked tirelessly to get this road finished in time for the holiday season. There were challenges along the way, such as bad weather and Covid-19 impacts that caused some delays. However, the team worked incredibly hard to overcome these setbacks and it's fantastic to have the road ready for people to use," Kieran McAnulty said.
Government representatives, local councillors, iwi, stakeholders and community gathered to cut the ribbon today on the 13-kilometre expressway, which will be opened to traffic in phases from this evening and be fully open by Friday.
Peka Peka to Ōtaki Expressway - key facts
- The Peka Peka to Ōtaki Expressway is a four-lane expressway stretching approximately 13 kilometres from Peka Peka to north of Ōtaki (bypassing the township with northbound and southbound off-ramp exits to Ōtaki).
- A key part of the Wellington Northern Corridor programme, the new road forms part of the Kāpiti Expressway - connecting with the 18km MacKay's to Peka Peka expressway section and the 27km Transmission Gully motorway.
- The Peka Peka to Ōtaki expressway will improve road safety in the area, reduce congestion on local roads, ensure more reliable journey times and enable more efficient movement of increasing freight volumes.
- Along with the construction of the road itself:
- nine bridges and two underpasses have been built, including a new Ōtaki River Bridge with a shared path
- a 10km off-road shared path for cyclists/pedestrians/equestrians has been created, linking a comprehensive shared path network through Kāpiti District
- 107 streetlights have been erected
- 50+kms of safety barrier have been installed
- more than 50 culverts and six new wetlands have been constructed
- two 6m high gateway sculptures will be erected at each end of Ōtaki (to welcome people into the township)
- around 10km of local roads have been created.
- More information about the expressway and its opening is available on the Waka Kotahi website:
