Transport Minister Michael Wood. Photo: RNZ
The new highway being built between Whangaparaoa Peninsula and State Highway 1 north of Auckland will be a toll road.
The O Mahurangi Penlink project is due to be completed in 2026.
Transport Minister Michael Wood said the new road will reduce travel times to North Auckland by 20 minutes during peak hours. A shared path will be provided for walking and cycling.
Wood said the road would "mostly serve specific communities", so the fairest option to fund its ongoing maintenance was through a toll. Money raised via the toll would "only be used to maintain this road".
"The government recognises the importance of this transport corridor and funded the construction through $8.7 billion of capital investment from the New Zealand Upgrade Programme."
Of that, O Mahurangi Penlink is expected to cost $830 million.
"However, beyond the government's upfront investment the road will cost $3 million each year to maintain," Wood said.
The initial toll for a light vehicle that passes through both tolling points will be $3 during peak congestion periods, and $2 at other times. Heavy vehicles would pay double that.
They were going to be higher at peak times, but Wood said community feedback saw that lowered.
There will be two toll cameras - one near SH1, and the other just east of the Weiti Bridge.
"Travel between four other access points on Penlink will remain untolled to ensure there is a free route for vehicles that have no alternative but to use Penlink."
Toll charges upset some
Some residents believe the new highway should not be tolled while others are annoyed it is only one lane each way.
Resident Sion Stavrovski said the $3 toll during peak hours and $2 off peak was too much.
"It's really a bit excessive I think, I thought it was going to be a dollar... maximum two," he said.
Heavy vehicles will have to pay twice that much.
Stavrovski said his wife worked in the city and the added cost of a toll would not be worth it.
The government should make the bridge two lanes each way, rather than just one, he said.
"Why don't you build it up now, properly, two lanes each way, and maybe fix it for the next 20 to 30 years, instead of finding after five years you should have built an extra lane each way."
While other residents wanted the road to be free, some seemed happy to pay the toll, saying reliable infrastructure always cost.
Albany Ward Councillor and chair of Auckland Council's Transport Committee John Watson said more consideration needed to go into charging for the road.
"By the time it comes online there might well be some proposal up for congestion charging, in my view, then, you'd be getting double whammied and motorists would be getting charged at two points," he said.
Watson said the government needed to be wary of not putting off motorists using the roads.
"They've got a very delicate balance to strike between discouraging people from actually using it, because it costs them $30 dollars a week if they commute five times, that's always an option."
Additional reporting by Finn Blackwell