Holiday drivers in for a treat as Peka Peka to Ōtaki expressway set to open

Work underway in August to remove and replace asphalt near the southern end of the Peka Peka to Ōtaki Expressway, Kāpiti Coast. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Holiday drivers will be relieved as a new four-lane expressway north of Wellington opens just in time for Christmas following an “extremely tight” race to finish the road.

The Peka Peka to Otaki expressway opening has come down to the wire, but Waka Kotahi has planned to open the road next week, just in time for heavy Christmas traffic.

It is the third major road built in the area in the past few years, following the Mackays to Peka Peka expressway and the long-awaited Transmission Gully. It forms part of the Kāpiti expressway.

Transport Minister Michael Wood will hold an event next week to open the road.

Just a couple of weeks ago Waka Kotahi infrastructure delivery regional manager Jetesh Bhula confirmed there was about 8500 tonnes of asphalt surfacing remaining on the $445 million motorway.

“We are currently investigating whether all of this is needed to enable opening, or whether some can wait until after opening,” he said at the time.

The northern and southern connections to the existing State Highway 1 were still incomplete at the time.

Waka Kotahi was also investigating what portion of the works could wait until after opening, Bhula said.

Less than a third of the 38km of road markings on lanes and road shoulders had been complete.

“However, completing this work only represents a few days’ work and promptly follows the completion of the surfacing,” Bhula said.

The string of new motorways in the area have had a turbulent beginning, with all having to be ripped up for repairs either before they opened or just a few months afterwards.

The roads are Transmission Gully, the Mackays to Peka Peka expressway, and the Peka Peka to Ōtaki expressway.

The Mackays to Peka Peka expressway, an 18km four-lane road that takes State Highway 1 along the Kāpiti Coast, opened to traffic in February 2017 and was completed four months ahead of schedule.

But parts of the expressway began leaking within months, with moisture breaching a seal between the road’s base and asphalt causing discolouration and surface issues.

Nearly all of the road had to be resealed as a result.

Then independent inspection reports showed it was plagued by flawed chipseal and water seeping through the road’s surface before it even opened.

The Peka Peka to Ōtaki road developed problematic pockets of air, meaning thousands of tonnes of asphalt have already had to be ripped up ahead of opening.

A bypass of Ōtaki, and the provision of a high standard four-lane expressway through the area will increase the efficiency of freight and people movements between Wellington and the North. It will ease local trip congestion, and will assist in facilitating economic development in the area.

The final road left to build to complete Wellington’s northern corridor will be Ōtaki to North of Levin.