 This required considerable excavation and the rock removed went into harbour reclamation for the construction of the Wellington Urban Motorway completed in 1969.The Ngauranga Interchange flyover joining State Highways 1 and 2 was finished in 1984 eliminating the junction controlled by lights at the foot of the Ngauranga Gorge.The Newlands Interchange, at the top of the gorge, was constructed in 1997–98 to replace the simple junction controlled by traffic lights, which caused a large amount of congestion.