Te Ara o Te Ata - Mt Messenger Bypass project construction in February 2025. Photo: NZTA / Waka Kotahi
The budget for a major Taranaki road has climbed up in costs from $365 million to nearly $600m.
The Mt Messenger Bypass will be a new six-kilometre route that avoids the existing steep, narrow and winding road over Mt Messenger on State Highway 3 in north Taranaki.
It had been subject to multiple legal challenges, which in combination with associated delays on construction NZTA estimated would cost $350m.
The transport agency's board confirmed up to $590m to complete the southern and central sections of the project.
In March it was reported the road had a budget of $365.1m.
It said the northern section of the project remained subject to ongoing legal challenges regarding one final parcel of land needed for the bypass.
"NZTA expects to confirm an investment range and delivery timeframe for the northern section once all legal challenges have been resolved."
Its transport services group general manager Kevin Doherty said the agency's preferred approach was always to acquire land through agreement.
"Since 2017, there have been many attempts to acquire the land by agreement, and the landowners have been presented with 20 offers - including options for new housing elsewhere across their 683-hectare landholdings."
The project reached a milestone last month when a 110-tonne excavating machine, called Hinetūparimaunga, broke through at the northern end of the project's 235 metre-long tunnel.
Taranaki farmers Tony and Debbie Pascoe have been fighting the compulsory acquisition of 11 hectares of their land for the project.
Tony Pascoe said he felt the comments made by NZTA regarding the amount of offers they had given them were "misleading".
"They have just been options of we'll take 140 hectares off you then we will put some money into a home.
"But then we talk put[ting in] a home they say 'nah you can't have it there'."
Pascoe said all they wanted was a fair deal.
"They are blaming us for all of this and it is 100 percent not our fault."
He said the budget increase showed poor costings for the project in the first place.
The Pascoes were still waiting to hear back on a decision on an appeal they had made to the Supreme Court.
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