Te Aranui o Te Rangihaeata –Transmission Gully is a motorway. This means each side of the road is separated by median barriers, it has interchanges rather than intersections, and there is no walking or cycling allowed.
It is important that you keep your eyes on the road, drive to the conditions and speed limit (which is 100km/h), and as with all motorways, do not stop anywhere on the road, except in an emergency.
Parts of the new motorway are located high in the hills and at times could be affected by strong winds, fog and even snow or ice. It’s important that you drive to the conditions and adjust your speed and driving accordingly. This includes increasing your following distance.
The variable messaging signs will warn you if there is low visibility, high winds, or other hazards and remind you if the conditions require you to reduce your speed.
The speed limit on the Transmission Gully motorway is 100km/h. Remember, the faster you go, the more likely you are to be killed or seriously injured if you crash.
There are slow vehicle lanes on the steeper sections of the motorway. You must move into the slow vehicle lane to let people pass if you are travelling slowly and holding people up.
As a general rule, in good conditions you should always drive at least two seconds behind the vehicle in front of you.
In other conditions (such as when the road is wet or slippery), you should increase your following distance (allow four seconds) between you and the vehicle in front.
If you’re joining the motorway at an on-ramp, use the whole length of the merging lane to get up to speed, look for a gap, indicate and merge safely.
If you’re already driving on the motorway, leave a gap for merging traffic. By leaving a gap, you’ll make it easier for traffic to flow smoothly and help avoid congestion.
When travelling south, remember Transmission Gully and State Highway 59 merge south of the Kenepuru interchange. Keep left unless passing and merge where the broken lane lines stop to make sure that all vehicles have plenty of space to merge safely.
More information available below.
Southern connection at Kenepuru
Transmission Gully forms part of State Highway 1.
When travelling north from Wellington, you need to use the left lanes to continue on SH1 via Transmission Gully. The right lanes will still take you north, just via the coastal State Highway 59 route.
When travelling south, you’ll automatically join Transmission Gully at Mackays Crossing.
Remember there are no service centres along Transmission Gully. We advise motorists to use SH59 if they are low on charge/fuel.
If you miss your exit on the motorway, you must not stop, reverse back or try to turn around – continue driving until the next exit.
Before you set off, check the NZ Transport Agency Journey Planner for up-to-date information to make your journey as smooth and efficient as possible.
NZTA Journey Planner(external link)
As with many rural motorways, there may be some locations where (depending on your network provider) you experience issues with network coverage, or lower signal strength. Cell phone towers have been installed along the motorway.
In an emergency, all phones automatically reroute 111 calls to any available mobile network.
If your vehicle breaks down on Transmission Gully, the motorway’s radar system will detect your stopped vehicle and a fully equipped incident response team will come to assist you. However, be sure to:
If a crash or other incident (such as a vehicle fire or medical incident) happens, it is important to remember that our radar system will have detected the incident, and a response team will be on the way. However, there are things you can do such as have your passenger call emergency services or use hands-free to make the call.
If you are involved in a minor accident and are stopped on the motorway, when it is safe to do so, move your vehicle to the shoulder or as far to the left side of the road as possible and put your hazard lights on. This will help warn other drivers while you wait for assistance.
Ventia provides 24/7 operation of the motorway, which includes incident response, maintaining traffic flow/reducing traffic congestion and the risk of follow-on incidents. Serious accidents will always involve emergency services.
If you spot something on the road (e.g. debris or someone who’s broken down), you can contact Ventia directly by phoning 0800 844 636 (0800 TG INFO).
Learn more about what Ventia below.
