The NZ Transport Agency has awarded the contract for construction of the  $330 million Peka Peka to Otaki Expressway to Fletcher Construction, with  major construction beginning mid-2017.

Transport Minister Simon Bridges welcomed the news, saying this was a long-awaited project for the Kapiti Coast and Wellington region.

“I‘m sure these communities will be pleased to see construction on this important route start next year,” he said.

The Expressway will be a 13km, four-lane highway that runs along the existing State Highway One route from Peka Peka Road to Te Horo, and an eastern bypass of Otaki. It forms part of Wellington Northern Corridor, one of the Government‘s Roads of National Significance, which runs between Levin and Wellington Airport.

Bridges said the expressway, which is expected to open to traffic in 2020, will result in more reliable, safer and efficient travel to and from Wellington through the Kapiti Coast, and will continue to support economic development in the area.

“We‘re committed to ongoing infrastructure investment across New Zealand, and that means more jobs with this project expected to create up to 500 jobs in this region alone,” he said.