A render of the Hōteo Viaduct. (Image courtesy of the NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi)

US engineer Jacobs has been selected by Spain’s Acciona for multidisciplinary design and project delivery services on a US$2.1bn section of the New Zealand Northland Corridor highway development.

Jacobs’ scope of work includes designing 15 bridges, design management, geotechnical engineering, digital engineering, building services, utility relocations and building facilities packages on a 24km stretch of highway connecting Warkworth to Te Hana Ara Tūhono.

The four-lane expressway will include grade-separated interchanges at Warkworth, Wellsford and Te Hana, plus twin tunnels through Dome Valley.

Warkworth to Te Hana is the country’s largest public-private partnership transportation infrastructure project and will form the first section of the 100km-long Northland Corridor connecting Auckland to Northland and is classified as a Road of National Significance on New Zealand’s state highway network.

Sinead Giblin, Jacobs’ executive vice president, said: “Reliable transportation networks are essential to the long-term prosperity of communities and economies. This project will help to improve mobility, strengthen network resilience and support future growth across northern New Zealand.

“By combining integrated design, digital delivery and multidisciplinary engineering services, Jacobs will contribute to creating infrastructure that provides lasting value for the people, businesses and communities that depend on this route every day.”

Acciona has previously been awarded a design, construction, operation and maintenance contract for the Warkworth to Te Hana project, which includes earthworks, tunnelling, civil works and systems.