Bypass time-saver
Hamilton Expressway video offers best clue about the time to be saved by new motorway section
The good news: it’s a decent amount of time! Waikato Expressway’s updates are a hive of information for the Hamilton bypass road project. Linking north to south and a key chapter in the Roads of National Significance programme, the bypass that’s set for completion is really taking shape, the sixmonthly flyovers providing a great view of the progress, changes and — in its latest video — an expectation.
Recorded in full 1080hd, it offers the same aerial view that the Huntly bypass flyover offers. It opened in 2020 and lopped off at least eight minutes (off-peak) and close to an hour at the worst times. One year on, the Huntly bypass section remains at a 100km/h speed limit, though it was designed as a 110km/h road. Waikato Expressway explains that: “[The speed limit of] 110km/h requires consultation (coming up) as we did before lifting Cambridge to 110. There are several older sections which would require work to meet the 110km/h standard.”
Furthermore, a mobile phone cell blackspot issue has also been raised, in the valley between the Taupiri Mountain and the DoC Scientific Reserve. Waikato Expressway states: “The issue with a cellular blackspot has been raised with the telecoms companies”; subsequently, cellphone coverage improved slightly in April 2021, enough to largely eliminate dropouts.
The latest biannual aerial flyover of the Hamilton bypass was filmed on a clear autumn day, May 14, and is likely to be one of the last before the road opens later in 2021. The 22km section bypasses Hamilton on the eastern side of the city and provides a substantially faster link from Auckland/Pukekohe to the 110km/h Cambridge section and beyond.
With the final asphalt surface covering close to half the 22km section of new SH1, road signs, lights and barriers are also being put into place.
The video also reveals, somewhat unintentionally, how many minutes the new bypass stands to save. While the path through Hamilton is either through the urban streets, or via Gordonton on Highway 18, either way, the trip from Horotiu to the start of the Cambridge motorway section is estimated to take around 45 minutes. On pure 100km/h speed, the 22km journey should take around 13 mins. We crossreferenced this with the aircraft’s shadow, which is travelling at a slightly faster speed and manages the trip in just over 10 minutes (with a cut point). Even at 15 minutes, that equals a net saving of 30 minutes for bypassing Hamilton — a real time and hassle-saver. Our best guess is that the road will be open just before the Christmas holidays to improve traffic flow.