Expressway update
A reader asks the NZ Herald’s Phoebe Falconer about the state of play with the four-laning of SH1 to Cambridge.
“There is work going on at Rangiriri, but when is the Huntly bypass to the east of Taupiri Mountain to be constructed?”
Phoebe replies –
The Waikato Expressway will provide 102km of continuous divided four-lane highway and reduce the length of State Highway 1 by 6km. It will provide a further 12km of new or upgraded links and a new bridge over the Waikato River north of Hamilton. It should cut travel times between Auckland and Tirau by 35 minutes. It is due to be completed by 2019.
Progress so far:
• Pokeno and Mercer – 22.6km sections completed.
• Longswamp – 5.9km section is in secondary investigation, opening 2018.
• Rangiriri – 4.8km section is under construction, opens late 2016.
• Ohinewai – 7km section completed.
• Huntly – 15.2km section is in investigation and preliminary design stage, target opening 2019.
• Ngaruawahia – 12.3km section completed, opened in December 2013.
• Te Rapa – 8km section completed, opened in December 2012.
• Hamilton – 21.8km section is in investigation and preliminary design stage, target opening 2019.
• Tamahere interchange – 2.4km section completed.
• Cambridge – 16km section is under construction, opens late 2016.
