Wellington's Transmission Gully motorway has been given the green light to accelerate to 110km/h, with the new speed limit to take effect from next week.
Transport Minister Chris Bishop announced today that the 27-kilometre section between Linden and Paekākāriki would have an increased speed limit.
NZTA publicly consulted on an increase to the speed limit in mid 2025.
"Of the 2,061 submissions received, 92% supported raising the Transmission Gully limit to 110 km/h," Bishop said.
The change will not apply to heavy vehicles or vehicles towing trailers, which will remain at a 90km/h limit.
Bishop said the route was a "critical transport link" for Wellington and Kapiti, carrying around 22,000 vehicles a day.
"Since opening in 2022, Transmission Gully has recorded low crash rates, with no deaths despite more than 150 barrier strikes," he said.
"Safety features including two lanes in each direction and a flexible median barrier between opposing lanes help reduce the risk of death or serious injury in a crash."
Maintenance and resurfacing work to bring the road up to standard was completed over summer, with full overnight closures, lane closures and temporary reduced speed limits in some sections of the route.
The planned works came just three-and-a-half years after the $1.25 billion stretch of road opened to the public.
"I want to thank drivers for their patience over summer while essential maintenance and resurfacing work was completed.That work has helped bring the road to the point where a higher speed limit can be safely applied," Bishop said.
Although the 4.6km Raumati Straights section was ckonsulted on at the same time, it would remain at 100km/h.
"Due to constraints on this section of the corridor, including the rail line and proximity to Queen Elizabeth Park, the Raumati Straights were not built to the same design and safety standards as other sections of the Kāpiti Expressway," Bishop said.
"Technical assessments determined that this section did not meet the minimum safety and design requirements for a 110km/h speed limit. Increasing the speed limit on this section would require significant investment in safety improvements."
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