With a whole lot of amazing transport infrastructure being built in New Zealand, it’s hard to pick the most impressive. But in the spirit of the late Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, who conquered Mount Everest together when nobody thought it could be done, we’ve given it a crack.
Here are our picks for three of the most eye-catching projects, completed within the past 12 months; each oozing epicness and improving the way New Zealanders travel.
State Highway 25A Taparahi slip remediation on the Coromandel Peninsula
When extreme weather wreaked havoc on the Coromandel in early 2023, it caused a major 120-metre-long, 20-metre-deep underslip on State Highway 25A, rendering the road impassable.
The damage caused by the slip severed road transport links across the Coromandel Peninsula and limited access to several towns including Whangamatā, Tairua and Pauanui. A solution was required urgently to reconnect the route for the region’s communities and visitors and to protect the local economy.
McConnell Dowell and Fulton Hogan teamed up as part of a joint venture to tackle the Taparahi Slip, as it was known, and delivered an innovative 124-metre-long and 15-metre-high three-span bridge to restore the crucial transport link.
The work was completed in December 2023, more than three months ahead of schedule.
Coromandel Mayor Len Salt was glowing in his praise of the project, which significantly reduced travel times across the Peninsula. He said the shorter travel distances resulting from completion of the project three months ahead of schedule were calculated to have saved 5,808 kgs of carbon dioxide emissions.
McConnell Dowell Project Director – Major Projects, Hugh Milliken, says reconnecting the Coromandel in December 2023, before the busy Christmas season, was a moment of immense pride.
“State Highway 25A is the link between the east and west coast of the Coromandel Peninsula and while it was closed people needed to either take a detour north for 90 minutes or south for almost two hours to get to their jobs and schools … Our key goal was to get the project finished as early and as safely as possible.”
Fulton Hogan project manager Ashley Cooper agrees, saying the way the community got in behind the work was a highlight.
“It was amazing to work on a project the community was so supportive of and couldn’t do enough to help the team with.”
A true feat of engineering brilliance.
Ara Tūhono – Pūhoi to Warkworth Motorway north of Auckland
The four-lane Pūhoi to Warkworth motorway was a beast, requiring workers to shift an epic 10 million cubic metres of earthworks and undertake construction in steep terrain and challenging ground conditions.
The $880M project required the Fletcher and Acciona joint venture to overcome a whole raft of challenges, including making gigantic rock cuts up to 60m deep and constructing vast 50-metre-high embankments along its 18.5km length.
Construction was completed in May 2024 after six and a half years of work, connecting Auckland and the Far North with a safer and more reliable transport corridor.
More than 35,000 vehicles, including 1,300 trucks, are estimated to travel the road every day and the motorway has already reduced the amount of traffic accidents and improved efficiency of the road network. The Pūhoi to Warkworth motorway is the first stage of Ara Tūhono, which means ‘a connecting pathway’ in Māori. Ara Tūhono will eventually stretch all the way from Pūhoi to Wellsford, with a second section – Warkworth to Wellsford – identified as one of the government’s planned Roads of National Significance.
The Pūhoi to Warkworth motorway recently took home the top award for projects valued at over $100 million at the Civil Contractors New Zealand Hirepool Construction Excellence Awards. It is also the third and only project outside North America to achieve a Greenroads Silver Certification – the highest sustainability rating offered by the Greenroads Sustainable Transport Council.
If you want to be part of award-winning transport infrastructure projects that change the way communities are connected across New Zealand, keep your eyes out for opportunities on the horizon.
Manganui Gorge Bridge in Taranaki
Transport infrastructure isn’t just for motorists – it can also be for people who prefer other forms of getting around, including keen hikers wanting to experience New Zealand’s great outdoors.
The 100-metre-wide Manganui Gorge Bridge was completed in April 2024, straddling a treacherous 50-meter-deep gorge on the Taranaki Crossing walking trail.
Built by bridge-building experts Abseil Access, the bridge aimed to reduce the risks posed by the previous route, which was vulnerable to washouts, landslides, and avalanches. Now trampers and backcountry skiers can traverse the area with greater peace of mind, knowing that the dangers of this rugged section have been tamed.
Construction of the 1300m-above-sea-level bridge required precision execution, including the installation of 22 rock bolts drilled up to 11m deep straight into volcanic rock. The bridge’s six- and 25-metre angled towers were flown in by helicopter and anchored to the bolt clusters before the pre-assembled cables, hangers, and decking units were transported into position by air in a meticulously planned logistical operation.
The bridge distinguishes itself with art panels and a 3D taniwha designed by local iwi Ngāti Ruanui, as well as being built to last 100 years and withstand a one-in-250-year avalanche.
Did you know that there are people working on epic bridge projects like this, that you could be part of, if you built the skills to get the job done?
We can’t wait to walk this one!
