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Towering bridges and enormously deep mountain cuts give Transmission Gully an intimidating scale.
On Monday, the media were invited to make the first trip along the 27-kilometer highway, which according to Waka Kotahi NZTA is 85% complete.
The road is still bumpy and rough gravel for the most part, but the bones are there. It is not difficult to imagine a smooth asphalt surface that allows thousands of drivers to enter and leave the capital.
The project has had a troubled history since it was first proposed in 1919. According to an urban legend, the US Marines offered to build the road for free during World War II, but that does not appear to be supported by historical evidence.
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Transmission Gully was officially launched in 2014, New Zealand’s first public-private partnership (PPP) by Wellington Gateway Partnership and Waka Kotahi NZTA, but was hit by a long list of delays and cost losses.
MONIQUE FORD / Things
All major road structures have been completed and final earthworks will be completed shortly after Christmas.
The Kaikōura earthquake, the Covid-19 pandemic, and road surface and safety concerns turned the $ 850 million project into a $ 1.25 billion test and pushed back the opening date from April 2020 to September 2021. .
But Sergio Mejía, CEO of the Wellington Gateway Partnership, is 100% certain that this time the road will open as scheduled.
“I am sure we are going to hit the mark. We are fully committed and we are on schedule, ”he said.
The only thing that could further delay the project would be an earthquake or a long streak of bad weather, he said.
MONIQUE FORD / Things
The 27-kilometer-long motorway will be a key part of the 110-kilometer Wellington North Corridor.
The steep and difficult terrain required an immense amount of earth movement, and crews have built 24 bridges and main culverts, totaling more than 1 km in length.
The largest bridge is Te Ara a Toa, a tall, curved bridge that sits 60 meters above Cannons Creek and spans 230 meters.
The 44 girders that make up the bridge’s structure are large enough to stand inside and walk around when placed on its side.
MONIQUE FORD / Things
The huge cuttings in the hillsides are among the impressive earthmoving projects at Transmission Gully.
The highest point on the road is Wainui Saddle, 253 meters above sea level. If it were at the top, it would offer a breathtaking view of Kāpiti Island.
Instead, drivers will be dwarfed by huge cuts in the terrain, measuring 70 meters on either side of the road.
The construction of the Wainui Saddle section required 850,000 cubic meters of earth to be moved, almost enough to fill Sky Stadium 2.7 times.
In total, more than 6,000 workers have contributed 9 million staff hours to the construction of the road. There are currently 570 people working on the site.
“I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, I can’t wait until September 2021,” Mejía said.
MONIQUE FORD / Things
Sergio Mejía, CEO of the Wellington Gateway Partnership, is confident that the path will be completed in 2021.
“I am very proud of the guys who work here, because they are completely committed. They just keep going, regardless of how difficult things are and have been, the guys just keep going and keep working. “
All major road structures have been completed and final earthworks will be completed shortly after Christmas.
The highway would be fully paved in the first half of next year, Mejía said. Signs, paint, and traffic sensors will be the last piece of the puzzle.
When completed, 25,000 cars per day are expected to drive along Transmission Gully, cutting 11 minutes from current drive time and reducing congestion pressure on State Highway 1.
