Acciona has completed the financial close for the Warkworth to Te Hana project with the NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi.
The milestone marks the completion of the award process and formally launches the implementation of the largest public-private partnership in the country’s history.
The total overall project cost is approximately NZ$3.6bn (€1.9bn) during its 32-year construction and operating period. This includes a nominal cost of around NZ$3bn (€1.5bn) to design and build the road.
The financing has been structured through the Northway Consortium, in which Acciona holds a 50% stake, alongside its partner Aberdeen Investments, which holds the remaining 50%.
The project in the north of New Zealand’s North Island involves the construction of 26km of dual carriageway – with two lanes in each direction, twin tunnels spanning over 1km in the Dome Valley, and three major interchanges in Warkworth, Wellsford, and Te Hana, and.
It also includes 15 bridges, most notably one over the Hoteo River, which will be more than 400m long.
The route will traverse complex terrain that will require the excavation of more than 10 hectometres m³ of earth, in addition to extensive drainage, paving, and geotechnical stabilisation work.
This section is the backbone of the Northland Corridor Programme, a strategic corridor spanning nearly 100km. designed to improve connectivity in the northern part of the country. The new highway will provide a safer and more efficient connection between Auckland and Northland, and aid regional economic development.
Acciona says it has applied the experience gained from previous projects in New Zealand, incorporating engineering solutions aimed at optimising earthworks, maximising the reuse of materials, and improving the infrastructure’s resilience to severe weather events.
The project directly extends the 18.5km Pūhoi-Warkworth highway, which was Acciona’s first undertaking in New Zealand.
