Eight years after the Manawatū Gorge Road was closed due to slips, its long-awaited replacement—Te Ahu a Turanga—has officially opened.
The $824 million, 11.5-kilometre four-lane highway connects Palmerston North and Woodville through the Ruahine Ranges, offering a safer and faster route than the winding Saddle Road and Pahiatua Track.
Locals and officials welcomed the new road, which is expected to boost regional connectivity and economic growth.
Community leaders described the highway as a vital reconnection for work, business, and social life, while Transport Minister Chris Bishop hailed it as a resilient, generational investment.
To only suffer from never ending pot holes and continuous road works.
824 million for 11kms.
I’m working on a 330km highway in one of the remotest areas of West Australia and it’s 660million.
These consultants and contractors are just reaming the nz taxpayer Fulton Hogan heb and downer should be investigated as well as the scum at nzta that allow this theft
I drove over this today, what an awesome highway! Years of work by a talented team, fantastic! Love it and it made my life a lot easier. Driving over the Saddle Rd, which was the temporary route while the highway was built, was such a pain.