The Ara Tūhono - Pūhoi to Warkworth Motorway project is back underway, and workers are hard at it trying to minimise the effects of the Covid-19 isolation delays. 

Project workers recently completed the largest concrete pour on the project to date, which took place on the deck of the stunning Arawhiti ki Ōkahu, the longest viaduct on the project. Over 12 hours, 313m3 of concrete (57 concrete trucks) was poured over a 65m section of the viaduct. It will take six pours to complete the first deck pour for this viaduct. 

The team will be undertaking urgent repairs to the road surface on SH1, on Wednesday 12 August between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., south of Mahurangi West Road and north of Hungry Creek Road. This date is weather dependent. You may experience some minor delays during these works. However, the project team will work hard to minimise disruptions. 

Traffic management will be in place while the repair work takes place, with the southbound SH1 traffic being transferred into the merge-lane as a contraflow. Traffic will still be able to move in both directions, with a temporary speed restriction of 30km in place.

Once open, people travelling on the new Ara Tūhono – Pūhoi to Warkworth motorway can expect some spectacular views, and not just from the rolling hills. Where there are steep rock cuts, the rock will be left exposed to showcase the geology as a key feature of the journey, creating a minimalist and natural aesthetic. A fixed drapery wire mesh will be used on the rock face to catch any loose and falling debris, allowing the natural features of the rock to be visible. 

When it opens in mid-May 2022, the Ara Tūhono – Pūhoi to Warkworth motorway will extend the four-lane Northern Motorway (SH1) 18.5km from the Johnstone's Hill tunnels to just north of Warkworth.