A new 110km/h speed limit will come into force for a section of motorway north of Auckland from tomorrow morning.
Transport Minister Chris Bishop announced today that the 15km section between Pūhoi and Warkworth would have an increased speed limit.
“Transport is a critical enabler for economic growth and productivity, and with over 20,000 vehicles travelling this motorway every day, the new higher speed will help ensure people and freight can get to where they need to go, quickly and safely.”
NZTA publicly consulted on increasing the speed limit late last year.
“More than 7900 submissions were received across Northland and Auckland,” Bishop said.
“Responses were overwhelmingly positive, with 94% in support of the increasing the speed limit and 91% strongly in favour.”
The motorway, which opened in 2023, was designed and constructed with safety features to limit death and serious injury, including two lanes in each direction, flexible median barrier separation and a mostly straight, wide alignment.
“NZTA has completed all required technical assessments, with the motorway being assessed as safe to increase the speed limit to 110km/h,” Bishop said.
“The Pūhoi to Warkworth motorway has vastly improved the safety, connectivity, and resilience of the network between Auckland and Northland, and has opened access to popular destinations between the two regions.
“As a critical route for road users, freight, and tourists, I look forward to the new 110km/h speed limit coming into effect from tomorrow.”
A 5.5km section from north of Orewa to south of the Johnstones Hill Tunnel had its speed limit increased to 110km/h in May.
A transition zone, where the speed limit would remain at 100km/h, was established over the two viaducts north of the Johnstones Hill Tunnel.
“This section is an area of weaving movements, where traffic is diverging and merging, exiting and egressing on short, narrow on and off ramps, with narrow lines of sight over the viaducts, and does not meet safety criteria for an increased speed,” Bishop said.
The Johnstones Hill Tunnel itself would stay at 80km/h.
“While the SH1 Johnstones Hill Tunnels are built to high safety standards, the enclosed environment within a tunnel creates a different safety risk to that of the surrounding motorway,” he said.
Local and international road safety experts have previously criticised the Government’s drive to increase speeds on some routes. They warned that raising speed limits would lead to more fatalities and severe, life-altering injuries on New Zealand roads, and disputed claims that higher speed limits wouldl yield economic benefits.
