Peka Peka to Ōtaki Expressway

The new Peka Peka to Ōtaki expressway opened in December 2022 reducing traffic congestion and improving travel time reliability for people and freight in the area.

The Peka Peka to Ōtaki expressway is an important road for the Kāpiti community and the wider Wellington region providing a safe, efficient and resilient route for people and vehicles to travel in and out of the capital city. 

The expressway forms part of the Wellington Northern Corridor which runs between Levin and Wellington Airport. It connects to the Mackays to Peka Peka expressway and Transmission Gully motorway in the south. 

The project was undertaken as a Joint Venture (JV) between Fletcher Construction and Higgins who carried out the construction planning and main work, with Goodmans Contractors providing earthworks and Brian Perry Civil doing the bridge piling. The project scope included two partial interchanges, nine kilometres of new local roads, 1.5 kilometres of rail realignment, nine bridges, 42 culverts, over 1.5 million cubic metres of earthworks, 4000 tonnes of steel, 17,500 cubic metres of concrete, and a new shared path for cyclists and pedestrians.

The expressway project has a number of other key features, including:

• bridge artwork and cultural features significant to local iwi and the Ōtaki community
• an overbridge at Te Horo to link School Road and Gear Road with Te Horo Beach Road
• overbridges just north of Ōtaki allowing Ōtaki Gorge Road to pass over the expressway and railway
• a 1.3km Ōtaki railway realignment
• a vehicle overbridge at Rahui Road crossing the expressway and the railway line
• a 330m-long four-lane Ōtaki River bridge located east of the Ōtaki River rail bridge
• an underpass at Taylors Road to improve safety and provide access for local residents
• heritage features such as the relocated historic Mirek Smišek pottery kilns.