Project introduction

Ara Tūhono - Warkworth to Te Hana is a Road of National Significance and part of the Northland Corridor. It’s a key connector and of strategic importance to the regional and national economy. It will provide a safer, more efficient and resilient route, which will improve accessibility for Northland.

  • Project type

    Road management
  • Project status

    Investigation

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About this project

Ara Tūhono - Warkworth to Te Hana is a Road of National Significance that will connect to the Pūhoi to Warkworth motorway and is part of the Northland Corridor, a 100-kilometre strategic route between Warkworth and Whangārei.

Roads of National Significance

The protected route for the Warkworth to Te Hana project travels west of Warkworth and east of both Wellsford and Te Hana, connecting back into State Highway 1 near Waimanu Road.

The project is 26km long, and the indicative design includes an 850m long twin bore tunnel in the Dome Valley and three interchanges located at Warkworth, Wellsford and Te Hana.

We expect to begin procurement, enabling works, and construction of Ara Tūhono Warkworth to Te Hana within the next 3 years.

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  • Benefits

    There will be a number of benefits as a result of the project including:

    • unlocking economic growth and productivity by moving people and freight efficiently, quickly, and safely.
    • improved travel time between Warkworth, Wellsford and Te Hana
    • reduced heavy traffic on SH1 through Wellsford and Te Hana, with the removal of nearly 1000 heavy vehicles per day
    • reduced congestion through the Wellsford main street
    • a high quality, safe new route with improved geometry and gradients
    • efficient connection to the Warkworth and Wellsford town centres through well located and convenient interchanges
    • improved corridor resilience through the provision of a reliable additional route separate to the existing SH1.
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  • September 2024 update
    • The Government Policy Statement on land transport 2024 (GPS 2024) was announced in June.  Ara Tūhono – Warkworth to Te Hana has been included within the Northland Corridor as part of the Roads of National Significance programme.
    • NZTA is developing an accelerated delivery strategy for the Northland Corridor in line with expectations set out in GPS 2024.
    • Property acquisitions continue for Ara Tūhono – Warkworth to Te Hana.
    • Ground investigations have commenced. The purpose of these investigations is to develop an understanding of the local ground conditions, including soil, rock and groundwater assessments. Information collated will be used to inform our design, understand key ground risks, and better inform project cost estimation. 
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The indicative alignment

The indicative alignment for Ara Tūhono – Warkworth to Te Hana connects to the Ara Tūhono – Pūhoi to Warkworth section to the northwest of Warkworth and heads north, crossing Woodcocks and Kaipara Flats Roads.

The new highway will be located in a separate valley, to the west of the existing SH1, until it reaches the Hoteo River where it will head eastwards crossing over the existing SH1 and Wayby Valley Road, with an interchange proposed at Wayby Valley Road.

The highway then continues generally parallel to Wayby Valley Road, before turning northwards and crossing Rustybrook Road. As the highway heads north it will cross local roads including Whangaripo Valley, Farmers Lime and Silver Hill roads, bypassing both Wellsford and Te Hana townships.

A further interchange is proposed near Mangawhai Road, with the new highway then connecting back into the existing SH1 to the north of Waimanu Road, just past Te Hana.

Ara Tūhono partners

The project team is working closely with regional and iwi partners to deliver the Ara Tūhono – Warkworth to Wellsford project.

  • Auckland Council

    Auckland Council is responsible for planning and managing growth across the Auckland region including the towns of Pūhoi, Mahurangi West, Warkworth and Wellsford. The Auckland Plan outlines a 30-year vision to make Auckland the world’s most liveable city. 

    Auckland Council(external link)

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  • Auckland Transport

    Auckland Transport is responsible for all of Auckland’s transport services (excluding state highways) including roads, cycleways and walkways, bus, train and ferry services. They also co-ordinate road safety and community transport initiatives such as travel plans for workplaces and schools.

    Auckland Transport(external link)

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Our partners on this project