Transmission Gully, Wellington’s long-awaited major motorway development, has been officially opened in a ceremony on Wednesday morning.
A pōwhiri was held to bless the four-lane motorway, which is 27km-long and connects Kapiti Coast and Wellington.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Wednesday morning the "engineering marvel" was "huge" for all Kiwis.
"We have a pathway that will be used by generations to come."
Jacinda Ardern described it as an "engineering marvel" that was "huge" for all Kiwis. (Source: 1News)
With travel via the route expected to cut journey times for about 25,000 vehicles by about seven to 15 minutes, that would equate to a productivity gain of about 1640 hours a day, Ardern said.
It's expected the road will be open to the public within 24 hours of this morning's ceremony.
The project, which began in 2014, has missed several milestones since its original opening date of April 2020.
Jacinda Ardern says the "engineering marvel" will bring benefits to all Kiwis. (Source: 1News)
It has been plagued with problems, including large parts of the road having to be ripped up and relayed due to issues with the sealing material.
That led to mounting frustration and calls for an inquiry.
Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency gave it the green light to open earlier this month, saying work over the summer has brought the road to a stage where it is now confident for public use.
However, to speed the process up, a number of quality assurance tests have been deferred until after it opened.
Waka Kotahi said none of the deferred tests would compromise public safety, as they relate to ensuring the long-term quality of the road.
Meanwhile, Transport Minister Michael Wood was confident any issues that could come up could be fixed.
"Always with these roads, there are ongoing assurance processes.
"On a big project like this, there might be issues that come up. But, we have a robust system in place to make sure that if there are defects, they get repaired."
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