89-620: The Kāpiti Expressway is a four-lane grade-separated expressway on New Zealand's State Highway 1 route through the Kāpiti Coast north of Wellington . From the northernmost terminus of the Transmission Gully Motorway at Mackays Crossing just north of Paekākāriki , it extends northwards 31 km (19 mi) to just north of Ōtaki , bypassing the former two-lane route through Raumati South , Paraparaumu , Waikanae , Peka Peka , Te Horo and Ōtaki. Waka Kotahi web site name
178-453: A motorway ) to the northern outskirts of Dunedin . From here it descends a steep, twisting stretch of Pine Hill Road through Pine Hill , before passing the University of Otago and heading through the city centre. For much of its route through Central Dunedin the highway is split into two separate northbound and southbound roads, part of the city's one-way street system. These roads traverse
267-484: A bypass, sometimes the former route is designated a spur until such time as the road can be transferred to the local council. All these routes are unsigned and appear as local arterial roads on maps. State Highway 1 has been earmarked for several motorway projects most of which have surfaced from the National government's Roads of National Significance package announced in 2009. The section of Marsden Point to Whangārei
356-719: A full Sandhills Expressway on the old designation won by 2009, although opposed by Jenny Rowan the Green Party Mayor of Kapiti Coast . Transmission Gully was approved by a Board of Inquiry. Construction started in 2014, and, although delayed by Covid-19 restrictions, opened in 2022; as did the Pekapeka to Otaki section. But the Otaki to Levin section was cancelled and then rescheduled by the Sixth Labour Government , and has not restarted. So on 15 December 2009 Joyce announced
445-623: A local road, again constructed along with the motorway, that provides access to the Porirua City Centre , before the motorway terminates at Linden on the boundary of Porirua and Wellington City , where it merges on to the older Johnsonville–Porirua Motorway . The length is 27 kilometres (17 miles), with a maximum grade of about 8.3 percent between the Paekākāriki Interchange and the Wainui Saddle. The Transmission Gully route
534-602: A major freight route. With the detour bridges reaching the end of their lifespan, NZTA replaced the fords with culverts . Construction of motorways and expressways has diverted the route of State Highway 1 in many places. The opening of the Auckland Harbour Bridge and the Auckland Northern Motorway between Northcote Road and Fanshawe Street in May 1959 saw State Highway 1 diverted from its former route around
623-488: A new route between the Kāpiti Coast and Wellington. From its northern terminus at Mackays Crossing , the route proceeds a short distance to an interchange providing access to Paekākāriki and Pukerua Bay before rising steeply inland to the Wainui Saddle, and then gently descends through Transmission Gully following the Horokiri Stream to Pāuatahanui, where an interchange with State Highway 58 provides access to and from
712-740: A roundabout at the entrance to the airport. The South Island section of SH 1 starts in Picton , adjacent to the railway station. Leaving Picton, SH 1 rises steeply to cross the Elevation saddle into the valley of the Tuamarina River . It descends alongside this river and across the Wairau Plain before reaching Blenheim . SH 1 passes through Weld Pass and Dashwood Pass to enter the Awatere Valley , then countiuses southward before passing Lake Grassmere . From
801-488: A route to kiwi populations. After the highway was completed, the amount of ferrets found in traps increased. In some cases, half of kiwi populations had been killed within weeks. Some opponents of the Transmission Gully project believed that its overall cost was too high, and that the region had insufficient funds to spend on it, with a benefit/cost ratio of 0.6. Then Mayor of Wellington, Kerry Prendergast , described
890-603: A series of public hearings, the EPA-appointed board of inquiry into the Transmission Gully proposal stated in a draft decision that it would grant resource consents for the project. On 22 June 2012, the Environmental Protection Authority released the Transmission Gully Board of Inquiry's final report. The Board of Inquiry approved the resource consents and the notices of requirement required for
979-523: Is a 27-kilometre-long (17-mile), four-lane motorway north of Wellington , New Zealand; it is part of the State Highway 1 route. Construction began on 8 September 2014 and completion was originally scheduled for April 2020, but contractual negotiations as well as difficulties resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic caused delays. The motorway was officially opened on 30 March 2022 and opened to public traffic
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#17328554858701068-420: Is a vital key to the future economic performance and prosperity of the whole region, and the Transmission Gully highway is a vital link in that chain". Opponents of Transmission Gully stated that there were better ways to improve access to Wellington. The highway would require an extremely steep gradient on its northernmost end and many opponents consider that it would thus not actually offer any improvement over
1157-571: Is to be upgraded to four lanes as part of the New Zealand Upgrade Programme . The Puhoi to Wellsford motorway (Ara Tūhono) is one of the projects of the Roads of National Significance . This planned new road is also referred to as the "Holiday Highway" as the current SH 1 becomes heavily congested in holiday periods from holidaymakers travelling to and from Auckland in the summer holiday season and public holiday weekends. Construction of
1246-474: The 2016 Kaikōura earthquake . SH 1 passes through Amberley and Woodend before becoming the Christchurch Northern Motorway and bypassing Kaiapoi to the west. At The Groynes west of Belfast , the motorway narrows to a four-lane divided arterial. SH 1 continues around the north-western urban fringe of Christchurch , passing just east of Christchurch International Airport . At Hornby ,
1335-539: The British Empire took place before Te Rangihaeata retreated to Poroutawhao in the Horowhenua District . The motorway opened to motorists on the morning of 31 March 2022. On opening day, a Holden VF Commodore police car drove into the northbound truck arrester bed due to driver error. It was repaired and continued in service until it reached the end of its service life in May that year. After being retired
1424-649: The Brynderwyn Hills before approaching the upper reaches of the Kaipara Harbour . The highway crosses into the Auckland Region , and passes through Wellsford and Warkworth , again heading for the east coast. Just north of Warkworth , the road widens to a four-lane motorway known as Ara Tuhono, Puhoi to Warkworth motorway. In the Moir Hill section, the road widens to 6 lanes with the addition of crawler lanes on
1513-547: The Centennial Highway . This route began construction in 1936 and opened on 4 November 1939, with the section north from Pukerua Bay running along a narrow strip of coastline below the Paekakariki escarpment. Despite this, in the succeeding years public interest remained, and consideration was still given to constructing the route through the Wainui Saddle as Field had envisaged. A popular rumour persisted for many years that
1602-537: The Green Party and the lobby group Option 3, believed that the money would be better spent on improving Wellington's public transport , particularly the existing rail line. They argued that the original choice between building Transmission Gully or upgrading the coastal route was a false dichotomy , and that in reality neither option was necessary or desirable. In October 2023 it was reported that pests such as possums, stoats, and ferrets were using Transmission Gully as
1691-576: The Hutt Valley . It continues south around the eastern edge of the Porirua suburbs of Whitby , Waitangirua and Cannons Creek , with an interchange providing access to local roads constructed at the same time as the motorway that link with these suburbs, before crossing the Te Ara a Toa Bridge, a 90-metre-high (300-foot) structure spanning 300 metres (980 feet) across Cannons Creek. A subsequent interchange links to
1780-627: The Mangamuka Gorge before turning south-east across the Northland Peninsula on to Kawakawa in the Bay of Islands where the roadway is shared by the Bay of Islands Vintage Railway track, and then south to the city of Whangārei , the largest urban area in Northland. SH 1 then skirts the south-western Whangārei Harbour, nearing the coast briefly at Ruakākā , before proceeding down to wind through
1869-710: The New Zealand road network , running the length of both main islands. It appears on road maps as SH 1 and on road signs as a white number 1 on a red shield, but it has the official designations SH 1N in the North Island , SH 1S in the South Island . SH 1 is 2,006 kilometres (1,246 mi) long, 1,074 km (667 mi) in the North Island and 932 km (579 mi) in the South Island. Since 2010 new roads have reduced
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#17328554858701958-642: The Taieri Plains . The area between the Taieri and Waipori Rivers is flood-prone, and the highway crosses this on a major embankment known colloquially as the flood-free highway . SH 1 continues through gentle hill country and along the shore of Lake Waihola , then crosses the Tokomairiro Plains into Milton . South of Milton is a major junction with SH 8 at Clarksville Junction. SH 1 continues to cross rolling hill country to reach Balclutha . From Balclutha,
2047-566: The Taieri River was realigned during the 1970s. SH 1A ran from Orewa to Silverdale . When the Northern Gateway Toll Road opened, part of SH 1A was incorporated into SH 1N and the rest had its highway status revoked. SH 1F was the name previously given to the northernmost section of SH 1N – between Cape Reinga and the junction with SH 10 . This section is no longer a spur and is now part of SH 1N. Where SH 1 has moved onto
2136-615: The US Marines stationed on the Kāpiti coast during World War II made an offer to the New Zealand government to build the road, but there is no evidence of the offer having been made. Construction of the Transmission Gully route eventually commenced in November 2014. The Transmission Gully route complements the previous Centennial Highway route (now State Highway 59 ) along the coast, and provides
2225-790: The Wellington Urban Motorway , skirting the shore of the harbour then passing the city centre to the west. The motorway ends at Te Aro , where a one-way system takes traffic to the Basin Reserve . Northbound traffic uses the Wellington Inner City Bypass (opened 2007), while southbound traffic uses Vivian Street . From the Basin Reserve, SH 1 travels through the Mount Victoria Tunnel to Wellington's eastern suburbs and Wellington International Airport . SH 1 ends at
2314-462: The 18.5 km (11.5 mi) Puhoi to Warkworth section began on 8 December 2016 with the official sod-turning. The motorway runs west of the current SH 1 alignment, starting at the end of the existing Auckland Northern Motorway and terminating onto the existing highway at Kaipara Flats Road, north of Warkworth township. The new motorway opened in June 2023. The NZTA released its preferred alignment for
2403-683: The Christchurch Southern Arterial Motorway, Curletts Road, Blenheim Road, and Main South Road. The section from the Queen Elizabeth II Drive to Brougham Street is now a local road, while the remainder of the route forms parts of SH 74 and 76. Re-routing also occurred in Whangarei and Timaru, removing SH 1 from their city centres. The original route through Whangārei via Kamo Road, Bank Street, Water Street and Maunu Road
2492-551: The Council were in favour of Transmission Gully, and the Council has changed its stance in response. Opponents of upgrading the coastal route said that doing so would cause significant disruption to the communities it passes through, whereas Transmission Gully avoids urban areas. The former Mayor of Porirua, Jenny Brash , has said that an upgrade would generate large numbers of complaints from Porirua residents, and would therefore have difficulty receiving resource consent. Others, such as
2581-709: The Government's commitment to the project as one of seven Roads of National Significance , with a predicted project cost of NZ$ 1.025 billion. On 15 August 2011, the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA), Porirua City Council, and Transpower jointly applied to the Environmental Protection Authority (New Zealand) (EPA) for notices of requirement and resource consents for the Transmission Gully Proposal. On 4 May 2012, after
2670-757: The Hutt Valley. The construction of the Ngauranga Interchange flyovers in 1984 allowed SH 1 to be diverted onto the motorway, bypassing central Wellington streets. The Christchurch Northern Motorway opened in October 1967 between Tram Road and Belfast, providing a second road crossing of the Waimakariri River . The motorway was extended northward to Pineacres in December 1970, bypassing Kaiapoi . The Western Belfast Bypass spur opened on 31 October 2017, extending
2759-481: The Northern and Southern Motorways, taking State Highway 1 off inner Auckland streets. The Waikato Expressway north of Te Kauwhata has largely been built on the existing line of SH 1N, although at Pōkeno the highway was diverted to bypass the town to the east. South of Te Kauwhata, most of the expressway has been built on a new line bypassing the towns of Ohinewai , Ngāruawāhia , Te Rapa and Cambridge , as well as
Kāpiti Expressway - Misplaced Pages Continue
2848-554: The SH 1 designation until the new motorway opened. The Johnsonville-Porirua Motorway was constructed in the 1940s and 1950s to replace the Old Porirua Road . The first section of motorway between Johnsonville and Takapu Road opened on 23 December 1950, and is New Zealand's oldest motorway. The Wellington Urban Motorway was constructed between 1969 and 1978, but was originally part of State Highway 2 as it could only be accessed from
2937-585: The SH ;1 is classified as a regional strategic road, and north of Kawakawa where SH 1 is classified as a primary collector road. The sections between Wellsford and Wairakei , between Ōhau and Wellington Airport , and between Woodend and Rolleston are classified as high volume roads. The section from the Central Motorway Junction and the Newmarket Viaduct, 3 km (1.9 mi) to
3026-514: The Sandhills motorway from Raumati to Waikanae, the previous government had proposed allowing it to be used by the local district council for a new local road. Using the old highway route through the Paraparaumu and Waikanae shopping areas would require bulldozing houses and splitting the two towns in half. The NZTA proposed other options like the existing highway route at several community meetings, but
3115-470: The South Island. SH 1 starts at Cape Reinga , at the northwestern tip of the Aupōuri Peninsula , and since April 2010 has been sealed (mainly with either chipseal or asphalt ) for its entire length. From Waitiki Landing south of Cape Reinga, SH 1 travels down the central-eastern side of the peninsula to Kaitaia , New Zealand's northernmost town, then travels through a new piece of road in
3204-575: The Transmission Gully Proposal. On 16 May 2013, national grid owner Transpower applied for consent to the Kāpiti Coast District Council to rebuild its Valley Road, Paraparaumu substation to 220 kV and build two short transmission lines to connect it to the two Bunnythorpe to Haywards 220 kV lines to the east. This would allow Transpower to demolish the existing 110 kV line between Pāuatahanui and Paraparaumu through Transmission Gully, rather than having to relocate it around
3293-673: The Waikanae North, Peka Peka and Te Horo Communities to the Kāpiti Expressway. In January 2019, the NZTA announced plans to stop this project. An initiative was formed named "Finish our Road" focusing on the safety implications because higher traffic on local roads, impact on ratepayers subject to higher maintenance costs and impact on the rural communities of the Kāpiti Coast. In May 2019, the Kāpiti Coast District Council voted unanimously to back
3382-582: The Waitematā Harbour. Northern extensions of the motorway in 1969 (to Tristram Avenue), 1979 (to Sunset Road) and 1984 (to Dairy Flat Highway via Greville Road) diverted State Highway 1 off Wairau Road and Albany Highway. A motorway extension from Greville Road to Silverdale in 1999 bypassed Dairy Flat Highway, which was re-designated State Highway 17. In 2009, the Northern Motorway was extended to Puhoi, bypassing Hibiscus Coast Highway through Orewa which
3471-616: The Warkworth to Wellsford section for consultation in February 2017. The motorway will run from the Puhoi to Warkworth section west of Warkworth northward, passing east of Wellsford and Te Hana to terminate onto the existing highway at Mangawhai Road, just short of the Auckland/Northland boundary. Many ideas have come forth to create a Second Harbour Crossing over Waitematā Harbour to complement
3560-637: The aging Auckland Harbour Bridge. These include ideas for a second bridge, or a second tunnel with capacity for rail. At this stage, any meaningful progress is unlikely until at least 2025. As of October 2017, the NZTA is investigating extending the Waikato Expressway south of Cambridge 16 km (9.9 mi) to the SH 1/SH 29 intersection at Piarere, bypassing the existing highway around the shores of Lake Karapiro . Transmission Gully Motorway Transmission Gully Motorway The Transmission Gully Motorway ( Māori : Te Ara Nui o Te Rangihaeata )
3649-423: The bridge into Auckland's city centre, and forms its western boundary as SH 1 proceeds to the Central Motorway Junction . At this junction, SH 1 becomes the Auckland Southern Motorway , and, after sweeping around the southern end of central Auckland, proceeds in a south-easterly direction. The motorway continues in a broadly southeast direction across the Auckland isthmus , then through Manukau and Papakura to
Kāpiti Expressway - Misplaced Pages Continue
3738-422: The bypass. In the southern South Island, several particularly twisting sections of SH 1S have been rebuilt to remove sharp bends and to generally improve road conditions. These include stretches at Normanby, near Timaru ; Waianakarua ; two stretches at Flag Swamp and Tumai between Palmerston and Waikouaiti ; and on the Dunedin Northern Motorway near Waitati . An extensive section between Allanton and
3827-497: The car was preserved at the Southward Car Museum . Developing a Transmission Gully road has been a topic of considerable debate in Wellington politics for some time, even as far back as 1919. Supporters claimed that it will improve access to Wellington City , arguing that the existing coastal route is too congested, is accident-prone, and could be damaged in a serious earthquake. Peter Dunne , former MP for Ohariu, says that "[i]mproving Wellington City's northern access and egress
3916-433: The central city 2–3 blocks southeast of the heart of the CBD . At the southern end of central Dunedin, the highway becomes the Caversham By-pass, which rises along the Caversham Valley before again becoming a motorway at the saddle of Lookout Point. The four-lane motorway ( Dunedin Southern Motorway ) runs through Dunedin's southern suburbs until the interchange with SH 87 at Mosgiel . SH 1 then heads southwest across
4005-532: The city of Hamilton . Most old sections of SH 1N reverted to local arterial roads, while the former section through Hamilton became the SH 1C spur. Construction of the Peka Peka to Ōtaki extension to the Kāpiti Expressway began in mid 2017 and opened to traffic in December 2022. The project added 13 kilometres (8 mi) of expressway to the northern end of the Kāpiti Expressway at Peka Peka, to terminate north of Ōtaki at Taylors Road. The controversial Transmission Gully Motorway began construction in 2014, and
4094-400: The city of Invercargill . In central Invercargill it meets the southern end of SH 6 and turns due south, skirting the estuary of the New River and Bluff Harbour. It passes through the small town of Bluff before reaching its terminus at Stirling Point , a kilometre south of Bluff. A commemorative signpost at Stirling Point indicates distances to major world centres and to the start of
4183-490: The coast at Moeraki . From here the road again hugs the coast along Katiki Beach , remaining closer to the ocean than at any point since Kaikōura. The highway turns inland at Shag Point, passing through Palmerston and Waikouaiti . South of Waikouaiti the road again becomes steep, rising sharply over the Kilmog hill before dropping down to the coast at Blueskin Bay , then rising again via Dunedin-Waitati Highway (a two- to four-lane carriageway which used to be designated
4272-525: The coast, which it reaches at Timaru . Between Ashburton and Timaru it crosses Rangitata Island in the Rangitata River . South of Timaru, the road again passes through gentle hill country, staying close to the coast but largely out of sight of it. The road veers inland briefly, bypassing Waimate as it reaches the plains around the mouth of the Waitaki River , which it crosses to enter Otago . It passes through Oamaru , from where it turns inland briefly, crossing undulating hill country before again reaching
4361-399: The eastern shore of the lake for 50 km (31 mi) to Tūrangi , at the southern end of the lake. Via SH32/41 the distance is about 6 km (3.7 mi) shorter than this section of SH1. Turning southwards again, SH 1 leaves Tūrangi and ascends onto the North Island Volcanic Plateau , passing through the fringes of the Tongariro National Park and into the Rangipo Desert , passing
4450-424: The end of off ramps. The word Kāpiti does not appear in any of this signage. The name Kāpiti Expressway only seems to appear in newspapers articles, apparently as a way to simplify identification to readers when writing about the expressway through the Kapiti District. The expressway operates only in the territorial area of the Kapiti District Council. As part of a state highway (SH1) the controlling authority for
4539-405: The end of the coastal plain at Mackays Crossing . It then becomes the Transmission Gully Motorway and steeply ascends through mountainous terrain to the Wainui Saddle, before descending through its namesake to Pāuatahanui and bypassing Porirua to the east before reaching the northern suburbs of Wellington , New Zealand's capital city. Immediately after entering the city of Wellington in
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#17328554858704628-418: The end of the plain at Levin . From Levin, SH 1 follows the narrowing western coastal plain southwards. The highway crosses into the Wellington Region 15 km (9 mi) south of Levin, and just north of Ōtaki widens into the Kāpiti Expressway , a fully grade-separated four-lane dual carriageway. This expressway bypasses the Kāpiti conurbation of Waikanae , Paraparaumu and Raumati , before reaching
4717-470: The existing coastal highway. The route that the highway must take is along the major fault line of the region, which would make it at least as earthquake prone as the existing coastal highway. Some suggested that the existing coastal route should be upgraded, rather than building a completely new route. This was the original recommendation of the Regional Council, and was put forward as the primary alternative to building Transmission Gully. Public submissions to
4806-471: The existing coastal route, but changed its position after public consultation. In 2009 Steven Joyce was Minister of Transport in the Fifth National Government , and was lobbied by MPs Peter Dunne and Nathan Guy for Transmission Gully as part of the Levin to Airport Road of National Significance. It had been proposed for years, but delayed as too expensive. When he flew over the route by helicopter, alternatives from engineers were stacking one direction of
4895-403: The expressway is Waka Kotahi - New Zealand Transport Agency When the second section was officially opened, tangata whenua gifted the name Te Ara Tuku a Te Rauparaha. This name was received at that opening ceremony. It is not currently clear whether that name was intended to apply to the second section or to the whole expressway from Mackay to Ōtaki. NOTE: references below implicitly demonstrate
4984-421: The first section (finished 2017) as McKays to Peka Peka (M2PP) and the second section (finished 2022) as Peka Peka to Ōtaki (PP2Ō). These appear as project names and in all material provided publicly. These documents do not use the name Kāpiti Expressway. Signage in the vicinity of the Expressway shows "EWY North (or South)" and a list of destinations, "expressway" at the start of on ramps, or "expressway ends" an
5073-449: The following day. A highway connecting the Kāpiti Coast to Pāuatahanui through the Wainui Saddle was first proposed in 1919 by William Hughes Field , the MP for Ōtaki at the time, as one of two alternatives to the steep, narrow and windy Paekakariki Hill Road between Paekākāriki and Pāuatahanui. His alternative proposal would become the main route north of Wellington from Ngauranga to Paekākāriki through Pukerua Bay , known as
5162-447: The goals of the initiative to review the business case provided by NZTA and their decision not to build the Peka Peka interchange. The Kāpiti Expressway has been constructed in two sections: MacKays to Peka Peka (M2PP) was the first section to begin construction. The southern end linked SH 1 just north of Paekākāriki to with a two-lane highway towards Porirua City eventually linking with the four-lane Johnsonville–Porirua Motorway which
5251-414: The highway at Picton. SH 1 has two spurs, both in the vicinity of Hamilton : SH 1 has varied road conditions. For most of its length it is a two-lane single carriageway road with at-grade intersections and access, sealed with chipseal in rural areas or asphalt in urban and high-traffic areas. The highway has frequent passing lanes on these sections, to allow traffic to pass other vehicles safely. Parts of
5340-416: The highway crosses the Mataura River ; from here the road again turns south to roughly follow the river. The highway passes through Mataura before turning west at Edendale . Many travellers choose to turn onto SH 93 at Clinton, as this route shortens the journey between Clinton and Mataura by about 10 km (6.2 mi) and bypasses Gore . Over its last stretch the road veers southwest before reaching
5429-426: The highway on top of the other along the bottom of the cliff at Pukerua Bay, or wiping out much of Pukerua Bay village, and taking off the end of the bluff at Plimmerton . So Transmission Gully was the only option. But if it rejoined the old highway at Paekakariki traffic would come to a screeching halt at the Paraparaumu or Waikanae traffic lights. While a planner with foresight 50 years earlier had designated land for
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#17328554858705518-455: The highway turns south-west, narrows to a two-lane undivided road and passes through Templeton . It then merges onto the Christchurch Southern Motorway where the highway becomes expressway standard until it approaches Rolleston. South of Rolleston, SH 1 becomes virtually straight as it crosses the wide fan of the Canterbury plains, crossing the country's longest road bridge at Rakaia before reaching Ashburton , and then veering back towards
5607-401: The highway turns west, veering briefly north as it heads inland to avoid the rough hills of The Catlins . It passes through the small town of Clinton before reaching the major provincial town of Gore . Because of the names of these two towns, this stretch of the highway was christened "The Presidential Highway" during the time of the Clinton-Gore administration in the United States. At Gore,
5696-417: The length from 2,033 km (1,263 mi). For the majority of its length it is a two-lane single carriageway , with at-grade intersections and property accesses, in both rural and urban areas. These sections have some passing lanes. Around 315 km (196 mi) of SH 1 is of motorway or expressway standard as of August 2022 : 281 km (175 mi) in the North Island and 34 km (21 mi) in
5785-413: The main river at Utiku. It then follows the western bank of the Rangitikei through Ohingaiti and Hunterville to Bulls . At Bulls, SH 1 turns southeast to cross the river, turning southwest again 5 km (3.1 mi) down the road at Sanson . SH 1 crosses the Manawatū Plains , passing the city of Palmerston North about 20 km (12 mi) west of it. It passes through Foxton , before reaching
5874-520: The motorway southwest to The Groynes, allowing SH 1 traffic to bypass Belfast. The extension of the Dunedin Southern Motorway has also seen changes in the highway, notably to bypass the suburbs of Fairfield and Sunnyvale. In Hamilton, SH 1N originally ran through the city centre via Te Rapa Road, Ulster Street (first agreed as an alternative to the northern end of Victoria St in 1930), Victoria Street, Bridge Street and Cobham Drive; this original route later became Hamilton Urban Route 4. In 1992, SH 1N
5963-482: The motorway. In spite of significant opposition, construction of the four-lane motorway began on 8 September 2014 with completion originally scheduled for April 2020. Delays due to contractual disputes and difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic pushed the budget out and the opening was scheduled for late 2021. In mid-December 2021, it was announced that the road would not be open by Christmas. On 30 March 2022, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern officially opened
6052-435: The motorway. The road was officially gifted the name Te Ara Nui o Te Rangihaeata / Great Path of Te Rangihaeata by the Ngati Toa tribe in honour of Te Rangihaeata, a chief who played a leading role in the Wairau Affray and the Hutt Valley Campaign in the New Zealand Wars . The motorway passes to the side of the location of the Battle of Battle Hill , where the final stand-off between Te Rangihaeata and forces loyal to
6141-405: The name Te Ara Tuku o Te Rauparaha , in honour of the legendary rangatira memorialised near the church Rangiātea in Ōtaki town. A 24 km expressway, from north of Ōtaki to north of Levin , is expected to begin construction in 2025 and opening around 2029. All exits are unnumbered. State Highway 1 (New Zealand) State Highway 1 ( SH 1 ) is the longest and most significant road in
6230-427: The narrative above. It is intended to explicitly identify and add any others that may be useful. The section from just south of Mackays Crossing to just south of Poplar Avenue at Raumati South was completed in 2007 with the completion of the Mackays Crossing interchange and rail overbridge, bypassing the existing rail level crossing. The previously constructed four-lane section from Mackays Crossing to Poplar Avenue
6319-432: The new type of low-sound asphalt that was used for its construction. This caused the road to crack and sink in many areas. When the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) were asked, under an Official Information Act request, to provide information on the cause of the issues encountered they declined. In July 2017 the Transport Minister Simon Bridges announced that a full Peka Peka Interchange would need to be built to connect
6408-452: The north before reverting to a single carriageway east of the town. The highway continues eastward to the town of Tīrau , where it turns south to pass through Putāruru and Tokoroa and the surrounding exotic pine plantation forest area. At Wairakei, SH 1 takes an eastern route to bypass Taupō and meet the Lake Taupō shoreline south of the town near the airport . SH 1 follows
6497-504: The original scheduled date. Some works, including the final layer of asphalt on some sections and roundabouts at the Peka Peka and Poplar Avenue interchanges, took until mid-2017 to complete. The first sod was turned on the 13 km Peka Peka to Ōtaki northern extension on 6 July 2017, and it opened to traffic on 22 December 2022. After 18 months it was apparent the road needed repairs. 49 kilometres of lanes were found to be leaking, due to
6586-556: The project as "unaffordable". It was suggested that making Transmission Gully a toll road would help resolve this problem and tolls would only cover a fraction of the funds necessary to build the highway. In May 2012, Julie Anne Genter , the Greens' spokeswoman on transport, described the motorway as incurring costs of $ 1 billion when the official business case benefits were $ 600 million, in order to ease congestion for an unlikely projected growth of 1500 vehicles per day. In February 2020 it
6675-416: The road are steep by international standards. Most steep sections having a combination of passing lanes (uphill), and crawler lanes or stopping bays (downhill) to allow heavy and slow vehicles to pull out of the way to let other vehicles pass. Waka Kotahi classifies the most part of State Highway 1 as a national strategic road. The exceptions are between Kawakawa and Whangārei and south of Mosgiel, where
6764-572: The small town of Ward the highway heads to the coast and follows it to Kaikōura . After passing Kaikōura, it veers inland, twisting tortuously through the Hundalee Ranges before emerging at the northern end of the Canterbury Plains . The section of highway between the Clarence River and Hapuku Rivers north of Kaikōura was closed from 14 November 2016 to 15 December 2017, due to damage from
6853-509: The south, is the country's busiest section of road, with more than 200,000 vehicle movements a day between Khyber Pass Road and Gillies Ave. NZTA announced in September 2010 that it was replacing the last three fords on SH 1S. The shingle fan fords are near Kaikōura , and while generally being dry, on about 28 days a year state highway traffic used to detour around them due to high water levels on old single-lane bridges, leading to delays on
6942-671: The suburb of Linden , the Transmission Gully Motorway ends, and SH 1 merges on to the Johnsonville-Porirua Motorway . The motorway gradually ascends through Tawa before reaching Johnsonville . Here, the motorway ends, and SH 1 as a six-lane arterial road steeply descends through the Ngauranga Gorge to the Ngauranga Interchange , on the shore of Wellington Harbour . At Ngauranga , SH 1 becomes
7031-720: The top of the Bombay Hills , just short of the Auckland/ Waikato boundary. At Bombay, SH 1 becomes the Waikato Expressway , a four-lane dual-carriageway expressway. The expressway takes the highway down the Bombay Hills to Mercer, where SH 1 meets the Waikato River , which it broadly follows for the next 220 km (140 mi). The Waikato Expressway bypasses Hamilton city centre to the east, then bypasses Cambridge to
7120-620: The uphill sections. Near Puhoi , on the Hibiscus Coast , SH 1 becomes the Auckland Northern Motorway . This 7.5 km (4.7 mi) section of the motorway is an automated toll road . At Orewa , the motorway becomes toll-free, crossing farmland to the North Shore of Auckland . The road crosses through suburbs to the Waitematā Harbour , which it briefly follows before crossing it by the Auckland Harbour Bridge . The motorway comes off
7209-641: The volcanoes of Ruapehu , Ngauruhoe and Tongariro . The road between Rangipo (10 km (6.2 mi) south of Tūrangi) and Waiouru is commonly known as the Desert Road . SH 1 enters the Manawatū-Whanganui Region, and descends through an army training area to the end of the Desert Road at Waiouru . From Waiouru, the highway follows tributaries of the Rangitikei River through Taihape to meet
7298-521: Was announced that the expected cost of $ 850m had been increased by another $ 191m. In March 2021 the road was reported to cost a projected $ 1.25 billion by its then-expected opening date in September 2021, and would not include a planned extra merge lane at the Linden interchange to relieve congestion. There had been claims that the route of Transmission Gully is problematic due to steep gradients, environmental damage and earthquake hazards. The route passes near
7387-527: Was constructed in the 1950s. The northern end linked to the existing two-lane SH 1 from Peka Peka north towards Otaki, Levin and beyond. In March 2022 the Transmission Gully Motorway was opened between MacKays and Linden. This bypassed the two-lane section of SH 1 and the former section became State Highway 59 . This section is not officially part of the Kāpiti Expressway.) The Peka Peka to Ōtaki (PP2Ō) expressway section opened on 23 December 2022. At its official opening on 21 December, Ngati Raukawa gifted
7476-661: Was diverted to run through Frankton via Avalon Drive, Greenwood Street, Kahikatea Drive and Normandy Avenue. The Frankton route then became the SH 1C spur in July 2022, with SH 1N being diverted to the newly-opened Hamilton section of the Waikato Expressway . In Christchurch, SH 1S originally ran via the city centre rather than around the outskirts via Harewood. The original route was via Main North Road, Cranford Street, Sherborne Street, Bealey Avenue, Madras and Gasson Streets (north)/Barbadoes Street and Waltham Road (south), Brougham Street,
7565-515: Was diverted via Western Hills Drive, while the original route through Timaru via Stafford and King Streets was diverted via Theodosia Street and Craigie Avenue. In 2010, the Taupō Bypass was constructed shifting the original SH 1 from the township and lakeside to the eastern outskirts of Taupō. The bypass starts at Wairakei near the existing SH 1/SH 5 intersection and finishes to the north of Taupo Airport. The concurrency with SH 5 also follows part of
7654-409: Was formally declared a motorway on 16 August 2021 with the declaration coming into force 28 days later. Although first proposed in 1919, it was only late in the first decade of the 21st century that serious steps were taken towards construction. The Greater Wellington Regional Council , in preparing its Western Corridor Plan, initially rejected Transmission Gully as unaffordable, preferring to upgrade
7743-493: Was officially opened on 30 March 2022. It provides a new alignment for State Highway 1 between Mackays Crossing and Linden , diverting the route from the Centennial Highway between Paekākāriki and Pukerua Bay , as well as providing an eastern bypass of Porirua . The previous route of State Highway 1 was renumbered to State Highway 59 on 7 December 2021, which created a temporary 26.2 kilometres (16.3 mi) gap in
7832-478: Was re-designated part of SH 17. However, SH 17 was short lived, being revoked in September 2012 and reverting to a local arterial road. Ara Tuhono, the Puhoi to Warkworth motorway, was opened in June 2023. The Auckland Southern Motorway was built between 1953 and 1978, bypassing the former route via Great South Road . The construction of the Central Motorway Junction between 1973 and 1978 connected
7921-460: Was upgraded during 2016 and early 2017 to provide an improved road surface. This section of road is constructed on an old peat swamp and develops an uneven surface over time. Work on the Raumati to Peka Peka section started in December 2013. The official opening ceremony was held on 16 February 2017, and the expressway opened to traffic in the early hours of 24 February 2017, some three months ahead of
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