NZ InfraWatch
Open the live map →
SH6 Hope Bypass: Nelson/Tasman
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi · Nelson
A new four-lane SH6 bypass of Richmond on the railway-reserve designation set aside in 1964, from the Salisbury Road interchange to the SH6/SH60 junction at Three Brothers Corner, protected on to Eden Road in Hope. One of two South Island RoNS. The projected cost has climbed from about $500m to $1.1-1.4b. About $250m is committed from the NLTF and Crown for the first two stages, spread across several NLTP periods. Design went to Stantec and WSP in January 2026. Tolling is likely and it will be built in stages. The alignment shown follows the published designation and is indicative.
Data current as at 13 Jun 2026, when the pipeline was last checked against its source.
Key facts
- Region
- Nelson
- Sector
- Transport
- Status
- Planning
- Estimated value
- $1.1b
- Indicative completion
- 2032
- Funding status
- Part Funded
- Lead organisation
- NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi
- Election risk
- High
Election risk assessment
South Island Road of National Significance, a National-government priority that Labour/Green would likely deprioritise in favour of safety and public-transport spending. Tolling is proposed.
Government priority alignment
HIGH: South Island RoNS four-laning, a core a government economic-growth priority.
Chronology
- 2020Hope Bypass investigated under the Nelson–Tasman transport programme
- 2023Included in the GPS 2024 Roads of National Significance programme
- 2025Two-stage delivery plan confirmed; tolling signalled
- 2026Design contract awarded (Stantec/WSP); early works, including site clearance and property, begin
- 2026NZTA's July Major Transport Projects Pipeline splits the project: Stage 1 (design contract already awarded) targets mid-2027 completion, while Stage 2 moves to 'continuing more slowly' with no confirmed timeline
- 2032Target for the first two stages to be complete
Source
NZTA ↗ · Newswire / Stuff (Hope Bypass cost blowout, 2026) ↗