National to start construction on long-awaited Mill Rd in 2028 if re-elected

National says it will start construction on stage one of Auckland’s long-awaited Mill Rd in 2028 if the party is re-elected next month.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon made the announcement in Auckland this morning, which is being livestreamed at the top of this article.

Luxon said a brand new city was essentially being built at Drury and the Mill Rd project was essential to get Auckland moving.

“After years of debate about Mill Rd, National is getting on with it,” Luxon said.

Mill Rd is a new four-lane, 21.5km corridor running alongside State Highway 1 from Manukau to Drury and is regarded as a Road of National Significance.

National will also progress route protection on stages two and three, the party’s transport spokesman Chris Bishop says.

“South Auckland is one of the fastest-growing parts of the country and Drury is at the centre of that growth, but the roading network hasn’t kept up.

“People travelling between Drury, Papakura and Manukau are funnelled on to an already congested Southern Motorway, while roads like Redoubt Rd and the existing Mill Rd were built for a semi-rural community, not tens of thousands of new households,” Bishop said.

According to Bishop, stage one between Manukau and Alfriston, is one of the highest-ranked projects on the Government’s Major Transport Projects Pipeline and has a benefit-cost ratio of 3.1 if not tolled, or 2.2 if tolled.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announces the National-led Government will get on with building Mill Rd in South Auckland if re-elected next month.

“NZTA estimates stage one will reduce congestion by 30% on the corridor, cut journey times by 25%, and result in a more than 60% reduction in deaths and serious injuries,” Bishop said.

National would allocate $1.75 billion in Budget 2028 so construction can begin in the late-2028 NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi construction season.

“The NZTA Board has endorsed the investment case, and NZTA is completing the design work and taking the project through the fast-track process to secure the consents it needs.

“After years of debate and discussion about Mill Rd, National in government is getting on with it.

“In addition to starting construction on stage one, National will allocate $100 million to progress route protection on stages two and three,” Bishop added.

Bishop pushed back on suggestions that Roads of National Significance projects had been mothballed under this Government.

“We were never going to start and build all of these projects at the same time.”

The projects were being “sequenced”. The Mill Rd project was important for the South Auckland community and would go ahead under a National government, he said.

Bishop said the Mill Rd project was discussed with Mayor Wayne Brown as part of the Auckland Deal.

He said the fast-track process was allowing greater certainty for project start dates which then flowed on to sharper prices for construction of roading projects.

More to come...