First look at new multimillion-dollar Rolleston bridge over SH1

Wednesday, 24 June 2026

A new bridge linking residential and industrial parts of Rolleston will help local residents avoid having to navigate State Highway 1.

The New Zealand Transport Agency has released images of what a new multimillion-dollar bridge connecting Rolleston’s residential and industrial areas will look like.

The project, part of the government’s roads of regional significance programme, will help New Zealand’s fastest growing district by giving local traffic a way to avoid the busy State Highway 1.

The SH1 Rolleston Access Improvements project, estimated to cost between $180 million and $200m, includes a new SH1 roundabout, a shared pedestrian and cycle path, and an upgrade to the rail crossing at Walkers Rd.

The bridge is expected to open at the end of next year.

The two southbound lanes on the motorway south of the planned bridge at Rolleston will also be extended.

Transport Minister Chris Bishop said the bridge was “the centrepiece” of the second stage of the SH1 project, passing over the road and the railway line to connect commuters between Rolleston’s residential, industrial and business areas.

He said of the 24,000 vehicles SH1 currently carries each day, 11% are heavy vehicles, and the overall number of commuters could grow to 33,000 in the next 20 years.

“SH1 needs an upgrade to get ahead of that growth and we’re getting on with it,” Bishop said in a statement.

The new bridge will have two lanes for vehicle traffic travelling into the industrial area.

Piling is expected to begin in October, and the bridge is due to be completed and open to the public by the end of 2027.

Work on the local roads and rail level crossing will be complete by the end of 2028.