New expressway section to open for holiday traffic
An under-construction section of the Waikato Expressway will have four lanes open in time for holiday traffic.
The 5.9km Longswamp section, which has seen State Highway 1 widened to four lanes, links with Meremere in the north at Hampton Downs and Rangiriri section in the south at the Te Kauwhata interchange.
‘‘We still have some final surfacing work to complete early next year but having holiday traffic spread across the new lanes has been a priority,’’ Darryl Coalter, NZ Transport Agency Waikato portfolio manager said.
South-bound traffic will be at 100km, but north-bound will have a speed restriction of 70km until the final asphalt surfacing is completed in the New Year.
Construction on the $94 million section began early 2017 with the south-bound lanes built first. Then with traffic running on those new lanes, earthworks, drainage and road building have been under way on the northbound lanes for the past year.
The project has also involved strengthening local road networks, including extending Whangamarino Rd across the expressway. This connects communities east and west of the highway, with all access now from the Hampton Downs or Te Kauwhata interchanges.
‘‘This section of SH1 has long had a poor safety record, so this widening and barrier work provides huge benefits for road users.
‘‘We have also removed side roads and driveways from SH1, which means local people can come and go from their properties without interacting with state highway users.’’
Longswamp’s four lanes will open later this week.
The Huntly section will be the next piece of the Waikato Expressway to be completed. It is due to open in February.
The ribbon cutting on February 14 will mark the beginning of the end for a two-billion-dollar roading project that’ll see traffic flowing on four lanes between South Auckland and Hamilton. The final strip bypassing Hamilton is due to come online in late 2021.