The completion date for a massive highway north of Auckland has been pushed out by at least five months because of delays caused by the COVID-19 lockdown.
The four-lane 18km section of State Highway 1 between Pūhoi and Warkworth was due for completion by the end of next year but is now slated to open by May 2022.
The Transport Agency said the shutdown caused by lockdown level 4 meant nearly five weeks of earthmoving was lost, and social distancing requirements under level 3 also caused delays.
The project is a public-private partnership, and the Transport Agency said it has agreed to pay $85 million to cover the cost of the delays from the COVID-19 shutdown.
The agency said: "A further $83 million, which had been agreed prior to COVID-19, is also being paid to cover extra costs and delays to work at the northern end of the project, which have been caused by land purchases taking longer than expected, and appeals to the Environment Court."
In 2016, the agency said the contract price was just over $700m but it now says its contribution is $877m.
The agreements reached are between the Transport Agency and Fletcher/Acciona Joint Venture, and are subject to the approval of the private consortium Northern Express Group (NX2) - which has been contracted to build the motorway.
The agency said it expected NX2 approval in the next few months.
Safety concerns over the strength of high viaducts had raised questions leading to two reviews. Claims have been made from within the project that the seven-to-ten-tonne concrete decking slabs will not be strong enough.
RNZ
