Post-Budget 2023 news on the Ōtaki to North of Levin (Ō2NL) highway:
the Minister of Transport Michael Wood has at last confirmed the Ōtaki to North of Levin Expressway (Ō2NL) will be constructed. …
The project includes the construction of a four-lane expressway with a range of safety features, including median barriers, wider shoulders, and new intersections. Approximately 21km of a total 24km of the new highway is proposed to be built within the Horowhenua District. …
Construction of the Ō2NL highway project and the shared walking and cycling path is expected to begin in 2025, and is scheduled to be completed by 2029. …
The existing State Highway network through Horowhenua has some of New Zealand’s most dangerous roads - 49 deaths and serious injuries occurred in the five years to 2017.
The aim of developing the expressway is to:
- improve road safety;
- accommodate population growth – by 2040, more than 130,548 people will live in Horowhenua and Kāpiti
- accommodate expected future traffic volumes;
- improve the resilience of the transport network connecting Ōtaki and Levin; and
- improve regional connectivity by strengthening the strategic economic link from Wellington through to the central North Island.
See also Confirmation the Otaki to north of Levin new highway project is going ahead as planned (June 2021).
