Proposed toll for Woodend Bypass will charge car drivers $2.50 and truck drivers $5

Tuesday, 12 August 2025

The NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi is seeking feedback on a proposed toll road on a new North Canterbury Highway.

High tolls on the long-awaited Woodend Bypass could push traffic back through local streets and undermine the project’s core safety goals, the Waimakariri District Council says.

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) has unveiled plans to charge people using the Belfast to Pegasus Motorway and Woodend Bypass, which is expected to cost $800 million to $1 billion.

The proposed toll would charge car drivers $2.50 and truck drivers $5 to drive the entire 10km. It will make it the South Island’s only existing toll road.

Waimakariri mayor Dan Gordon said the council, a long-time advocate for and partner on the project, was disappointed to be told last week - “at the last minute” - that NZTA would consult on the proposed toll.

“We have repeatedly raised concerns with NZTA about the likelihood of increased rat running and congestion through local streets, particularly Kaiapoi and Tuahiwi, as drivers try to avoid this level of toll,” he said in a statement.

About 21,500 vehicles use the section of State Highway 1 daily, with freight making up 9%. The council estimated the toll could cost a regular commuter from Pegasus or Ravenswood about $1300 a year, and said reducing tolls would better encourage use, particularly as fuel tax and road user charges already contribute to funding.

The B2P project – one of the government’s Roads of National Significance – will provide a 10km four-lane motorway extension north of Christchurch including a 6km bypass to reduce the traffic on State Highway 1 through the town of Woodend.

Work on the highway is set to begin in 2026.

It would see two tolling points, on each side of the Pineacres interchange at Williams St, each charging $1.25 for a light vehicle and $2.50 for heavy vehicles.

Rich Osborne, the agency’s system design regional manager, said six tolling options were considered, including a single tolling point at $2.50 which would raise more revenue.

However, officials found that could create unfair charging disparities and push excessive traffic onto local untolled roads.

The current road remains a free route, with two polling stations on the new bypass.

“The single tolling point options also raised issues of fairness, where residents of Woodend would either avoid paying a toll altogether, or paying the same toll as those using the entire length of the road.”

NZTA would collaborate with the Waimakariri District Council and affected communities in Tuahiwi, Kaiapoi and Woodend to address potential traffic diversion issues, should the tolling proposal proceed as planned, Osborne said.

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.

The project was expected to reduce traffic through Woodend to 8000 per day.

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

The Waimakariri District Council said it would oppose tolling at the proposed rates in its submission and urged residents to have their say.

Feedback can be given through NZTA’s website until September 9.