An important road project in New Zealand now looks likely to cost even more than previously expected. The expressway linking Otaki to North of Levin is now expected to come with a pricetag of US$1.05 billion (NZ$1.5 billion).
The Otaki to North of Levin route is also known as the O2NL expressway and was previously expected to cost US$572 million (NZ$817 million). The project has suffered a number of delays and cost increases due in part to the pandemic. It will not be ready until 2022 although it was originally planned to be open to traffic in 2020. When the route is complete it will improve transport to and from the capital, Wellington, cutting congestion.