The Mill Road project comprises three stages, together delivering a new four-lane, 21.5 kilometre corridor adjacent to State Highway 1 from Manukau to Drury.
Stage One will deliver approximately seven kilometres of road between Manukau and Alfriston, and comprises two packages:
- Package One: Redoubt Road: SH1 Interchange to Hilltop Road - approximately 1.6 kilometres of road
- Package Two: Hilltop Road to Phillip Road - approximately 5.4 kilometres of road
The scope of Stage One includes:
- a four lane (general traffic) corridor including a westbound bus lane at the northern end
- two new and six upgraded intersections
- three new roundabouts
- new bridges across Puhinui Creek and Cheesman’s Bush, and
- current Mill Road south of Redoubt Road becomes a shared path and property access road.
Stage Two and Three is requires further planning and route protection.
The NZ Government has announced it will consider tolling the Mill Road project upon its operational commencement.
Key Dates
| Apr 2025 | ROIs Open |
| May 2025 | ROIs Close |
| Jul 2026 | Expected Construction Commencement |
| Dec 2033 | Expected Construction Completion |
Funding contributions
| NZ Government |
Financing
|
The Business Case for the project proposes tolling to support the construction and maintenance of the road. |
Procurement
| Procuring Agency: | New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi |
PROJECT HISTORY
| Apr 2018 | The estimated NZ$507 million Mill Road Corridor (phase 1) was included in the updated 2018 ATAP as an investment priority for the 2018-2028 decade. The project was also included in the Draft Regional Land Transport Plan (2018-2028). |
| Jan 2020 | The NZ Upgrade Program provided an estimated NZ$1.35 billion to complete all stages of Mill Road. |
| Mar 2021 | The 2021-31 investment package of the Auckland Transport Alignment Project included Mill Road Corridor as a fully funded commitment. |
| Jun 2021 | Following a re-evaluation of the New Zealand Upgrade Program (NZUP), the existing proposal for Mill Road Corridor was deferred, with no indication of future timelines. Instead, a smaller scope of works was proposed to upgrade existing two-lane Mill Road from Flat Bush to Alfriston. Targeted safety upgrades between Alfriston and Papakura is also part of the new scope. Value of this work was not confirmed. |
| Mar 2024 | Mill Road was identified as a Road of National Significance in the Government Policy Statement on Land Transport 2024. |
| Apr 2025 | The New Zealand Transport Agency, Waka Kotahi, endorsed the investment case for Stage One of the project and approved NZ$91.1 million (A$83.8 million) for completing the design work and securing consents. |
| Apr 2025 | Registrations of Interest commenced for the Early Contractor Involvement phase for Package One of the project between Redoubt Road: SH1 Interchange and Hilltop Road, closing 21 May. A Request for Tender process is expected to commence in June. |
| May 2025 | The New Zealand Government called for Registrations of Interest for early utility investigation work for Package One of the project. Following the ROI process, shortlisted applicants will be required to submit a Request for Tender. ROIs close 29 May. |
Estimated Total Cost
(2025)
Sector
Road
Procurement approach
Traditional Procurement |
Location
New Zealand |
Resources
