Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency in New Zealand is planning to open the Puhoi to Warkworth highway in 2023. The 18.5-kilometer motorway will extend the four-lane Northern Motorway (SH1), providing a safer, more resilient, and reliable route for users between Auckland and Northland.

The road project is developed by Northern Express Group (NX2), and its subcontractor joint venture (JV) between Fletcher and Acciona. The NX2 consortium is responsible for the design, construction, finance, operation and maintenance of the motorway with a concession period of 25 years. 

Once construction work is completed in May-June 2022, motorists will be able to drive through the tunnel and onto the Arawhiti ki Ōkahu (Ōkahu viaduct), passing through a big cut in the hillside before re-joining SH1 at Pūhoi. Traffic will remain in one lane in each direction and road users will not be able to drive on the Pūhoi viaduct (Arawhiti ki Pūhoi) until the rest of the 18.5 km motorway opens in 2023.