Two significant moves are underway on major road projects in the North Island.
By Phil Pennington of RNZ
A request for tenders is about to go out to design and build the Cambridge to Piarere extension to the Waikato Expressway.
At the same time, Hutt City Council is looking to hire consultants for work on protecting a route for its Cross Valley Link, which is planned as a feeder to the proposed Petone to Grenada highway.
Both the expressway and highway are Roads of National Significance (RONS).
The government on Thursday laid out the phases for building the RONS which together carry a $56 billion estimated pricetag over 20 years.
The Cambridge to Piarere four-lane, 16km extension to the Waikato Expressway is expected to cost about $1.8 billion. The government recently confirmed construction funding for it.
The contract should be let late this year and the aim was to open the road in 2032, said NZTA.
"The new expressway will improve journeys by reducing congestion, improving safety, improving travel time reliability and boosting the region's economic growth. It will provide a more resilient roading network for this critical corridor," the agency said online.
Plans would be done for how the important Karāpiro Road intersection with SH1 would be managed.
In Lower Hutt, the Cross Valley Link has been talked about for years, as a way to link the industrial southeastern end of the Hutt Valley at Seaview with State Highway 2 on the western side, via a new bridge across the Hutt River.
A council tender document said securing the route would be a "critical milestone".
The council would be hiring consultants for engineering, planning, environmental assessment, transport planning, traffic engineering, and project management services.
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