Contractor confirmed for Woodend bypass and North Canterbury motorway work

Monday, 10 March 2025

A map of the planned Belfast to Pegasus Motorway and Woodend Bypass.

Detailed design work for the Belfast to Pegasus Motorway and Woodend Bypass is expected to be completed by late 2025.

The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) last week awarded the contract for the project's design and consenting work to Aurecon and Tonkin + Taylor.

The motorway was initially announced by the previous National Government in 2017 but was cancelled in 2018. The current Government reinstated the project, approving funding in November for pre-implementation and early works.

A busy road where State Highway 1 runs through the township of Woodend near Christchurch.

The 10km motorway, designated as a Road of National Significance, will extend State Highway 1 north of Christchurch from the SH1/SH71 Lineside Rd interchange to just north of the Pegasus roundabout. It includes a 6km bypass of Woodend.

The staged design process will see the first portion completed by the end of 2025, covering consenting and tendering for construction. The design and consenting of the main works will continue simultaneously, with completion expected in 2026.

Waimakariri MP Matt Doocey said the project would help address growing traffic volumes and improve safety for Woodend residents.

Waimakariri MP Matt Doocey has been a prominent proponent of the Woodend Bypass for years.

“In all the years the bypass has been on and off the table, the population north of Woodend has continued to grow exponentially, and the year-on-year increase in traffic through the town has become unsustainable,” he said in a statement.

“Building this vital infrastructure signals our Government’s focus on prioritising investments that reduce travel times, increase productivity – and in this case vastly improve safety for the residents of Woodend.”