After a well-deserved break over the Christmas holidays, the team at Penlink are back behind the wheel, rearing to go.

Construction of the $830 million project has started with the clearing of the ground, establishing access tracks and site offices, constructing temporary erosion and sediment controls, service relocation and early earthworks.

From now until March, work at Duck Creek Road area will commence.

A safe exit for construction vehicles will be made, and long-term temporary traffic management will be in place from February with an on-demand traffic light system. 

Before the light system is installed, a manual stop/go arrangement will be used on some days as required. 

Traffic management will be in place during work hours only.

During these months, vegetation and tree clearance as well as site establishment will be done. 

Geotechnical testing, to investigate and confirm ground conditions, will continue, with a helicopter delivering equipment to the work sites on a more regular basis.

Service relocation works and vegetation clearance along East Coast Road have started and temporary traffic management will be in place soon.

Early works and earthworks have begun on Ara Weiti Road to construct environmental controls, site establishment and prepare a site for a project office.

Vegetation clearing is scheduled to commence at the Whangaparaoa side in March. 

This is an important first step in the construction process, as it is necessary to remove any trees and other plants that may be in the way of the planned construction.

The bulk of the earthworks will only start in October this year.

Penlink is a 7km two-lane road that will link Whangaparaoa peninsula with the SH1. 

An extradosed bridge will be built over the Weiti River and there are talks that the road will be tolled. 

Penlink will be built to help ease traffic congestion and will take up to four years to build.