Transmission Gully on verge of completion, with 110 km/h speed possible

Transmission Gully motorway, as viewed from Mackays Crossing. Photo / Transmission Gully

Transmission Gully, the $1.25 billion 27 kilometre motorway north of Wellington, may shortly be declared finished, which could start the process to increase its speed limit to 110 km/h.

Transmission Gully has been open since 2022, despite not technically being finished.

The road, one of the last National Government’s Roads of National Significance programme, is a public-private partnership.

NZTA-Waka Kotahi has been locked in a dispute with the road builders, CPB Contractors and HEB Construction Joint Venture (CPBHEB JV) over the standard to which they built the road.

The dispute has delayed the official completion of the build.

CPBHEB JV lodged legal proceedings more than a year ago against NZTA over the dispute.

The Herald understands the dispute may be nearing an end with an agreement reached between the builders and NZTA.

That would mean the road could be declared finished. Ventia, another firm, will operate the road for 25 years as part of the Public-Private Partnership.

Representatives from CPBHEB JV were approached for comment.

Neither NZTA, or Minister of Transport Simeon Brown would give anything away.

An NZTA spokesperson said that legal proceedings had “not been withdrawn and commercial discussions remain ongoing between the parties involved”.

When asked whether NZTA was close to an agreement, Brown would not give a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer.

“There’s been a range of advice on that. I can’t provide any details,” Brown said.

Brown “would not go into details” about whether he would seek to raise the speed limit on the road to 110km/h once the road is finished, despite Transmission Gully having been designed for this speed.

A higher speed limit can only be considered once the road has been finished.

The new higher speed limit of 110km/h can only be considered for roads such as Transmission Gully that have been designed and constructed to the necessary standards.

Even then, the speed limit can only be raised after a comprehensive review and consultation as NZTA has to examine whether it is appropriate to increase the speed limit without compromising driver safety.

Another 24.5km section of the nearby highway will have its speed limit increased to 110km/h by the end of this month after a review and consultation.

Transport Minister Simeon Brown. Photo / NZME

NZTA’s transport services general manager Brett Gliddon has previously described the dispute between NZTA and the CPBHEB JV as pertaining to NZTA’s “incomplete works on the road” and NZTA’s “expectation these should be completed to the standard in the project’s contract”.

The outstanding works included a new State Highway 59 connection between Mackays Crossing and Paekākāriki, works at the Pāuatahanui interchange, a recreational track along parts of the route, and maintenance access tracks.

Thomas Coughlan is Deputy Political Editor and covers politics from Parliament. He has worked for the Herald since 2021 and has worked in the press gallery since 2018.