North Canterbury motorway projects may cost $1 billion

Thursday, 8 May 2025

The 10km motorway will bypass Woodend, install more lanes and improve safety and access, Transport Minister Chris Bishop says.

Work is accelerating on the long-awaited $800 million Belfast to Pegasus and Woodend Bypass motorways, with geotechnical investigations under way.

The 10km project, a designated Road of National Significance, aims to ease congestion, improve safety, and support economic and housing growth in the fast-expanding Waimakariri District.

It could become the South Island’s first toll road.

State Highway 1 near Woodend currently has about 21,500 vehicles a day, including significant freight traffic. That figure is forecast to reach 28,000 by 2048.

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

Transport Minister Chris Bishop said there had been 280 crashes on SH1 through Woodend since 2014, including three fatalities and 25 serious injuries.

The project was expected to reduce traffic through Woodend from 21,000 vehicles per day to 8000, and reduce deaths and serious injuries from 5.6 to 1.25 per year,” he said in a statement on Thursday.

“Delivering this project has substantial benefits, including a three-minute travel time saving along the state highway, and up to 10 minutes at peak.”

Work will include widening the southern section of SH1 to four lanes, constructing a new four-lane motorway bypass around Woodend, and building several new bridges and overpasses. A grade-separated interchange will be installed at Williams St, and the Pegasus roundabout will be replaced with a motorway overpass and signalised ramps to improve safety and access.

The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) board endorsed the investment case in November 2024 and approved $68.1 million to advance detailed design work and early works, alongside $37m for property acquisition. Further funding decisions will follow.

The project’s full cost is estimated between $800m and $1 billion. Tolling is being considered to help fund construction and maintenance.

Geotechnical investigations, now under way, involve drilling 70 boreholes up to 35m deep and assessing ground conditions including soil and rock strength. Early construction work is expected to begin in early 2026, with main construction to follow later that year. The new highway is expected to be finished by 2030.

Associate Transport Minister James Meager said SH1 was a nationally strategic freight route and provided critical access to Christchurch, its airport and Port, and major health, education, commercial and industrial services.

Waimakariri MP Matt Doocey said progress on the project was “exciting for the whole of North Canterbury and northern Christchurch”.