Construction on the Puhoi to Warkworth motorway continued during winter and under COVID-19 Alert Level 3, and progress is being made to the massive project.

Thirteen beams, each weighing 42 tonnes, were installed over three nights on Watson Road Bridge. The beams were lifted with a 400-tonne mobile crane. This had to change position between each lift – a complicated task which involved moving around 150 tonnes of counterweights, rigging and the crane. 

Progress is being made on the 11 Barrel Culvert – which will be the largest culvert in New Zealand on completion. Culverts are the primary method of allowing existing stream and watercourses to flow beneath the motorway alignment. There will be 46 culverts across the alignment, including the 11-Barrel Culvert structure for flood relief at Carran Road. The culvert is being constructed of 187 concrete pipes, each weighing 10 tonnes. When complete, each barrel will be 42 metres long and 2.4 metres in diameter.

Road users are encouraged to prepare for upcoming road layout changes to State Highway One north of the Johnstones Hill Tunnels, Pūhoi. Traffic in the southbound lanes will merge with the northbound lanes on approach to the tunnels. It will diverge into two lanes again before entering the tunnels. This work is expected to take place in the coming months and marks the start of major Southern Connection work to connect the tunnels to the new motorway.

This month marks the start of bird breeding and fish migration seasons in our region. This means before carrying out any vegetation clearance or stream works, workers need to check to ensure they are not disturbing any nesting birds or migrating fish.

“During this time, our project ecologist needs to assess any trees or vegetation we’re planning to remove to check if any birds are currently nesting in them,” says Environmental Manager Jonathan Green. “With fish migration, each stream within the project footprint has previously been assessed for fish species so we know which migratory species are present. This enables us to determine if there is any risk before carrying out any work.”

So far, $17 million has been spent on suppliers and subcontractors from Warkworth and Pūhoi for the project. 

The new motorway is scheduled to open in May 2022, fingers crossed.