SH2 Hawke’s Bay Expressway

SH2 Hawke’s Bay Expressway is an existing two-lane lifeline route connecting people to the regional hospital and airport. It forms part of the national freight corridor, connecting Napier Port to the wider Central North Island. The expressway carries 29,000 vehicles a day. Due to the region’s growing population and economy, the expressway is reaching capacity in the central section at peak times.

The Hawke’s Bay Expressway project is included in the Government’s Roads of National Significance (RoNS) programme, outlined as a priority in the 2024–27 Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS 2024).

Roads of National Significance

The project supports national and regional economic growth and productivity by improving capacity, travel time, reliability and safety. It will enable faster peak time travel, more reliable journey times, and a safer road environment.

In August 2025, the scope of the project was confirmed:

• Widening 6.5km between Taradale Road and Links Road/Pākōwhai Road to 4 lanes, including construction of overpasses at Kennedy Road and Meeanee Road intersections and a new bridge over the Tutaekuri River to take the new lanes.
• A new grade-separated interchange (overpass) at the Links Road/Pākōwhai Road intersection, including approximately 500m of 4-laning south of Links Road/Pākōwhai Road. This is a critical improvement to ensure the benefits of 4-laning between Taradale Road and Pākōwhai Road are fully realised, and traffic keeps flowing smoothly.

This targeted investment reflects the most urgent needs and represents a prudent, well-aligned outcome—delivering strong economic returns. The improvements will enable faster travel during peak time, more reliable journey times, and a safer road environment. Funding has been approved to complete the work and construction is scheduled to begin in November 2025. The project is expected to be completed late 2029.

Key project benefits and outcomes:

• Road users will benefit from 11.7 km of free-flowing, uninterrupted travel, before arriving at a roundabout. 
• Travel time savings – for example, initially the average southbound morning peak trip from Napier to Hastings is expected to reduce by 5 minutes.
• Travel time reliability: the worst-case journey time between Napier and Hastings is expected to drop by 8 minutes initially, so trips will be more predictable.
• Increased resilience through new structures built to modern standards.
• By 2048, we expect around 5-7 less deaths and serious injuries caused by crashes on the road.
• High productivity and economic gains over and above direct transport impacts.

The Government Policy Statement on Land Transport 2024 (GPS 2024) encourages NZTA to consider tolling as a way to help fund the construction and maintenance of new roads, including Roads of National Significance. For this project, tolling has not been pursued as legislation does not allow tolling across a route where only part of the corridor is being delivered as new infrastructure.

Tolling may be reconsidered in the future if any further upgrades are made across the corridor that collectively meet the Land Transport Management Act 2003 requirements, or if legislative changes enable a broader tolling approach. Any future investment in the corridor will be assessed against need, benefits, prioritisation, and funding availability to ensure alignment with regional and national transport objectives.