Delays are afflicting the opening of New Zealand’s new Warkworth-Puhoi highway– image courtesy of © Norman Chan, Dreamstime.com
An official opening date has been set for the controversial Puhoi-Warkworth highway link in New Zealand. The project has been beset by delays due to technical issues as well as legal problems and will now be completed in 2023. The first stretches of the new link were originally expected to open to traffic in mid-2022.
The project for the 18.5km highway stretch is being planned by the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA). The project is costing more than originally anticipated and now comes with a pricetag of US$576.75 million (NZ$900 million).
News of the delay will be of no comfort to drivers in Auckland, which suffers from heavy traffic congestion at peak periods. The project was intended to help reduce the incidence of jams and cut journey times in and around the city.
