On the Ashhurst side of the highway, the road begins by crossing two new bridges before a steep climb. Photo: Supplied / New Zealand Transport Agency
Transport Minister Chris Bishop has on Tuesday confirmed the new Manawatū Tararua Highway will open in June, although he hasn't given an exact date.
The long-awaited new road replaces the old State Highway 3 through the Manawatū Gorge, which closed in April 2017 due to slips.
Construction began in early 2021 on the new four-lane, 11.5 kilometre-long highway, which links the eastern and western sides of the lower North Island.
Bishop said the new road would take 10 to 12 minutes to drive, about half the the time it now took on alternative routes, such as the Saddle Road.
The new highway would cost $824.1 million, he said.
Transport Minister Chris Bishop. Photo: RNZ/Calvin Samuel
"The road will support productivity for businesses by improving travel times for freight and lowering vehicle operating costs," he said.
"This corridor is an important freight link between Hawke's Bay-Wairarapa and the Manawatu-Whanganui regions. Having an efficient, four-lane highway, divided by a median barrier through this transport corridor will boost economic growth for this part of the country and the rest of the North Island.
"This highway will reconnect the communities severely affected by the closure of the old road. Woodville and Ashhurst have been impacted by the closure, and I would like to acknowledge their patience and their support for the project since its inception."
Bishop said construction teams still had work to do, including laying the final stages of asphalt, installing barriers, line marking and connecting the new road to the surrounding roading network.
Authorities are yet to make a decision about whether the old road was suitable for a recreational track.
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