Public consultation opens for raising Transmission Gully speed limit to 110km/h
Transmission Gully.
Photo:
RNZ / Angus Dreaver
The Transport Minister has announced consultation begins on Friday on raising the speed limit for Transmission Gully to 110km per hour.
The $1.25 billion motorway north of Wellington - opened to the public in March 2022 after years of delays.
Last year two large motorways north of Wellington the Kāpiti Expressway and the Peka Peka to Ōtaki Expressway had their speed limits increased to 110km per hour.
Transmission Gully was built to the same safety levels but did not receive the same treatment at the time due to parts of the road not being complete.
Transport Minister Chris Bishop said now New Zealanders would get to have their say on the increased speed limit for the road.
"Transmission Gully was designed and constructed to a high safety standard. This is reflected in the low crash numbers on the road since opening in 2022."
Bishop said there had been 150 barrier strikes on the route but nobody had died on it.
Transport Minister Chris Bishop.
Photo:
RNZ/Calvin Samuel
There would also be consultation on a raised speed limit to 110km per hour on the Raumati Straights which connected Transmission Gully to the Kāpiti Expressway.
If it came into force, that would mean the speed limit would be 110km per hour on State Highway One from north of Ōtaki to nearly all the way into Wellington City.
Consultation will last six weeks.
In February RNZ reported that NZTA Waka Kotahi estimated it
spent more than $600,000
on external lawyers for a legal battle with the builders of Transmission Gully, which was later settled out of court.
The road was built under a Public Private Partnership (PPP) contract between the Wellington Gateway Partnership and builders CPB Contractors Pty Ltd and HEB Construction Ltd.
The dispute related to unfinished construction and quality checks.
At the time the agency said the legal proceedings were filed in response to their expectations works were completed to the "project's contracted standards".
In December the agency announced it had settled the dispute out of court.
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