March 17, 2022 12:33pm by David Farrar

Transmission Gully to open within 14 days

Wellington’s long-delayed, billion-dollar Transmission Gully motorway will be open by the end of the month.

Waka Kotahi will defer a number of quality assurance tests required under the contract with the road builders, CPB HEB, because it believes the 27-kilometre road is now safe for public use.
Additional tests yet to be completed do not compromise public safety, and will be completed after the road is open. Incomplete tests include environmental measures.
A specific date and time has not been given, Brett Gliddon, Waka Kotahi’s general manager transport services, said “nothing substantial” could prevent the road from opening by the end of March.

This is great news. Transmission Gully has cost only 4.2% of what the Auckland tram route will cost and will make a huge difference to Wellingtonians, bypassing all the areas of congestion such as Mana and Pukerua Bay. We will now have a proper four lane expressway from the Terrace Tunnel to Pekapeka. And if National gets back in, maybe even to Levin.

The redundancy will be great also. If there is a crash on SH1 (now SH59) it can cause hours of delays.

It will also make it much easier to get between SH1 and SH2, without having to go around the Pauatahanui Inlet.

So I am very excited by the confirmed opening.