Auckland’s Mill Road Project is one of 149 projects on the government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill due to be law by the end of 2024.
The project involves developing more than 21km of new and existing roads between the Auckland suburb of Manukau and the rural town of Drury, 36km away. If the bill passes, consenting could be completed for the first stage of the project north of Alfriston Road, according to a report by Radio New Zealand.
The project is estimated to cost nearly US$797 million and will provide an alternative route to the congested Auckland Southern Motorway, also known as the Southern Motorway and historically as the Auckland–Hamilton Motorway. The 45km-long route is part of State Highway 1. It runs from the Central Motorway Junction in central Auckland, through Manukau City, Papakura and Drury, before terminating onto the Waikato Expressway at the top of the Bombay Hills.
Also on the list for fast-tracking in Auckland is an alternative route to North-West State Highway 16, the North-West rapid transit link, Airport-to-Botany rapid transit as well as long-awaited Avondale-to-Southdown railway corridor.
