The Manawatū Tararua Highway will be opened to traffic from June 2025, restoring an important connection for communities and businesses on both sides of the Tararua Ranges.

The new highway between Ashhurst and Woodville will replace SH3 through the Manawatū Gorge, which was permanently closed in April 2017 due to landslides.

Minister of Transport Chris Bishop said travel times will be greatly improved for both light and heavy vehicles using the new road.

“General traffic will take between 10–12 minutes to drive the road, which is a significant improvement on the current 20–25 minute detour route in place. The new road will be safer and more resilient than the road it’s replacing,” he said.

Bishop said the road will support productivity for businesses by improving travel times for freight and lowering vehicle operating costs.

“This corridor is an important freight link between Hawke’s Bay-Wairarapa and the Manawatu-Whanganui regions. Having an efficient, four-lane highway, divided by a median barrier through this transport corridor will boost economic growth for this part of the country and the rest of the North Island,” he said.

“This highway will reconnect the communities severely affected by the closure of the old road. Woodville and Ashhurst have been impacted by the closure, and I would like to acknowledge their patience and their support for the project since its inception.”

Work is still to be completed before the road can open, including laying the final stages of asphalt, installing barriers, line marking and connecting the new road to the surrounding roading network.

The expected cost to complete the project now stands at $824.1 million.