10 | REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT 2024 CCNZ Awards: Northern Express Group T T Richard Loader Motorway extension a major boost T T to page 12 The Ara Tūhono – Pūhoi to Warkworth motorway project team have been awarded the overall Supreme Award for 2024 Auckland CCNZ HYNDS Construction Awards, along with the Category E Award for Major Projects over $50M. The project also received accolades at this year’s CCNZ National Awards, winning the Hirepool Construction Excellence Award for Category 5 - Projects over $100M. The Ara Tūhono – Pūhoi to Warkworth PPP (Private Public Partnership) Project, is a significant 18.5km greenfields motorway, that provides a crucial new transport link to Northland. Delivered by the Northern Express Group (NX2) on behalf of NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, the project extends Auckland’s Northern Motorway from the Johnstones Hill tunnels to just north of Warkworth. Construction was carried out by a Fletcher – Acciona Joint Venture with the new motorway officially opened in June 2023. The new motorway is a four-lane dual carriageway, separated by a central median with a safety barrier, and was built to the west of the old SH1, bypassing Warkworth on the western side. Key benefits of the new route include improved safety and connectivity, more reliable journey times and a better freight connection for the Northland region, which is expected to support economic and population growth. The motorway will also improve connections between the growth areas in the northern Rodney area of Auckland and reduce congestion at Warkworth by providing a bypass for through traffic. Time savings are expected to be greater for trucks due to reductions in grades and a better road layout, which helps heavy vehicles maintain a higher average speed along the route. Within the next ten years it is predicted traffic will increase to more than 31,000 vehicles a day, shared between the new motorway and the old SH1. Ara Tūhono is the second motorway in New Zealand to be constructed on behalf of the New Zealand Government under a PPP contract, after the Transmission Gully project. In November 2016, Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency awarded a contract to the NX2 Group to deliver the project. New Zealand’s largest supplier of Certified Concrete, Masonry, Paving, Concrete Retaining wall systems 100% proud to supply Northern Expressway Group 09 423 6044 FIRTH.CO.NZ CONCRETE THE TRUSTED NAME IN
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