Skip to main content

Video: Auckland’s Penlink Highway inches closer to becoming a reality

The final hurdle regarding land settlement has been cleared for Auckland’s ambitious US$274 million Penlink Highway. The 7km route will improve access to the Whangaparaoa Peninsula but it could be up to 20 years before construction starts, according to a report in the New Zealand Herald newspaper. The local authority-controlled Auckland Transport hasn't decided if it will pay for the proposed four-lane toll road that would include a 540m bridge over the Weiti River. An Auckland Transport spokesman said
August 9, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
The final hurdle regarding land settlement has been cleared for Auckland’s ambitious US$274 million Penlink Highway.

The 7km route will improve access to the Whangaparaoa Peninsula but it could be up to 20 years before construction starts, according to a report in the New Zealand Herald newspaper.

The local authority-controlled Auckland Transport hasn't decided if it will pay for the proposed four-lane toll road that would include a 540m bridge over the Weiti River. An Auckland Transport spokesman said they did not have construction funding but were "regularly reviewing the priority" for Penlink.

The newspaper reported that the promoters estimate Penlink could attract 16,600 vehicles per day and use a toll system similar to the Northern Gateway - the first toll road in New Zealand to be fully electronic. Northern Gateway extends the Northern Motorway (SH1) 7.5km further north from Orewa to Puhoi.

Auckland Chamber of Commerce chief executive Michael Barnett recently wrote an opinion article for in the Herald, saying that Penlink's cost would be "modest" compared with the recent larger projects. Its benefit-cost ratio of 2.9 also gave it a rating higher than several of NZTA's Roads of National Significance, he reportedly said.

Related Content

  • New Central Ring Road around Moscow to be built by 2018
    September 30, 2013
    Eugene Gerden evaluates Moscow’s new ring road mega project The Russian government plans to complete implementation of one of the most ambitious projects in the country’s road building industry in recent years, which involves construction of The Central Ring Road around Moscow by 2018. The new road should be built by the next presidential elections, while its length will be 339km. It is expected to be comprised of five sections and will be located 50km away from Moscow Ring Road, a ring road encircling the
  • Thames Crossing tunnels tendered
    November 13, 2020
    The Crossing will almost double road capacity across the Thames River near London.
  • Alberta’s peaceful partnership
    May 4, 2020
    A bridge project in northern Canada threw up some unexpected challenges, reports David Arminas, from the banks of the Peace River in Alberta
  • Mega city transport in Mexico
    June 13, 2012
    Rapid urban growth is resulting in massive mega cities with major transport needs and Mexico City is one of the world’s largest – Mike Woof reports Mexico City is a vast, sprawling metropolis and one of the world’s largest cities, resulting in huge problems for its inhabitants, particularly with regard to infrastructure. Measuring population size is an inexact science for large cities as suburban areas can add to the figures considerably, especially in developing nations where unplanned expansion is as comm