Transport Minister Steven Joyce has today welcomed the announcement of the winning contractor to construct Victoria Park, one of the seven roads of national significance.

"This is an important milestone for the project and I look forward to construction beginning in November, one year earlier than originally planed", said Mr Joyce.

"Victoria Park was identified as road of national significance in March because it is a key bottleneck on State Highway 1 and is of great importance to the Auckland economy."

This project will unlock the benefits of surrounding motorway improvements by increasing capacity from 2-lanes in each direction to 3-lanes northbound (in a new tunnel) and 4-lanes southbound (on the existing Victoria Park Viaduct).

Mr Joyce said this will greatly ease congestion for the 160,000 plus vehicles that use this route each day.

"Victoria Park is one of the first projects to benefit from the Government's decision to increase funding for state highway construction by $1 billion over the next three years," said Mr Joyce

"Without extra funding this project may never have got off the ground, and neither would the jobs and economic benefits it will bring."