Construction on the Takitimu North Link Stage 1 project is progressing after what NZTA is calling a golden construction season.

“With piling on the project now 96% complete, the highway is really on solid ground,” said infrastructure delivery manager Darryl Coalter.

“Interest in the project is extremely high, with 370 people turning up to meet the team and see the progress at our Open Day recently, followed by a visit by the Minister of Transport, Chris Bishop, who declared the project ‘amazing’ and said he couldn’t wait to see it open.

“With 11 culverts now complete (out of 19), 72% of the utility work finished and over 163,000 hours of machinery work under our belt, we’re heading into the winter months in a strong position to continue to build our structures,” said Coalter.

Six bridges are currently under construction, so while earthworks wind down for the cooler months, the site will still be a hive of activity, keeping the 275 people working on the project very busy.

“We’ve commenced trials for the first section of pavements at Te Mete, and we’ve already got 2km of drainage in, so it’s all happening both above the ground and below.

“And as the seasons turn, the 2025 planting season will see 164,000 plants go in the ground, adding to the 70,000 already in, so there’s heaps to look forward to.”

But don’t just take Coalter or Bishop’s word for how epic things are looking - check out the progress on this fly-through video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnE25XXsrjY

Piling works at 15th Ave. Photo / Supplied

Fast facts

• 275 people currently working on the project
• More than 2478 people inducted and worked on various aspects of the project to date
• Over 22.5 million hours worked since project started
• 90 subcontractor staff engaged, with half of those local businesses
• 4 bridges built 6 under construction
• 2.3 million cubic metres of dirt moved (of total 3 million cubes)
• 8.84km of piles on the project, 96% complete
• 800,000 linear metres of wick drains installed, to reduce settlement time
• 70,000 plants in the ground, of more than 900,000 required in total
• 11 out of 19 culverts completed
• 2km of network drainage installed out of 13km
• 72% complete of utility work (includes Power, Gas, Fibre, Telecommunications, Water, Sewer)
• Total machine hours 163,149 (up until end of March 2025)
• 35 dump trucks, 10 bulldozers and 20 excavators on site
• Commenced first section of pavement trials at Te Mete