If you've noticed a flurry of activity between Warkworth and Te Hana on your travels lately, you're not imagining things.

NZTA’s Northland Corridor team is charging ahead with planning and investigations for the next stage of Ara Tūhono – Warkworth to Whangārei.

In their latest update, NZTA confirmed that letters have now gone out to landowners within the emerging preferred corridor.

This is a big step in a huge project aiming to improve safety and resilience for everyone travelling north.

For Coasties, the most immediate benefit will be better connections through the notoriously difficult Dome Valley section once the Warkworth to Te Hana stretch is complete.

Work is progressing on multiple fronts.

Site investigations—geotech, ecology, archaeology and more—are now underway to help refine the route.

NZTA says access to some private properties will be required for these checks, but that doesn’t automatically mean a property will be affected long-term.

Further north, design work is also happening between Te Hana and Whangārei as the emerging preferred corridor is narrowed down.

A final route is expected to be announced around August or September this year, following NZTA Board approval.

Many locals have asked why the Brynderwyn Hills alternative isn’t being built first—or why a tunnel isn’t the solution.

NZTA says a tunnel, while technically possible, would be too expensive and take far longer to build.

The geology is also tricky.

Instead, the current plan is more practical, quicker to deliver, and comes with less environmental disruption.

As for timing, the Warkworth to Te Hana section is already well advanced in its planning.

That’s why construction will start there first, with other sections running in parallel in the background.

Seen something local we should cover?

Let us know at [email protected]