Te Rapa and Ngaruawahia sections are open, Rangiriri and Cambridge sections are under construction: and future plans under way for the Longswamp, Huntly and Hamilton sections of the Waikato Expressway.
The combined open day for the Longswamp and Rangiriri sections of the Waikato Expressway attracted plenty of interest.
Recent Waikato Expressway activities included a well-attended community information day for the Longswamp and the Rangiriri sections and a targeted information and discussion day for the roading design around Pickering Road, within the Cambridge section.
Statutory processes are underway for alterations to designation for the Huntly and Hamilton sections, and in late February, the NZ Transport Agency lodged a Notice of Requirement (NoR) to alter the designation for the Hamilton section of the Waikato Expressway.
This would link the Hamilton section of the Expressway with the proposed Ruakura development. It's been lodged but placed on hold so interested parties know the intent, particularly with the Environmental Protection Agency Board of Inquiry hearing into plans for the Ruakura inland port development starting in May.
Read more in the media release here or at www.nzta.govt.nz/hamilton(external link).
Final land acquisition negotiations are also under way for the 21.8km Hamilton and 15.2km Huntly sections, with construction contracts expected to be awarded next year for both. The Longswamp section which joins the Rangiriri section is in the secondary investigation phase.
The $2.1 billion Road of national significance will be completed by 2019, providing a 102km four lane state highway which is safer, with reduced journey times, and supports growth and development.
For more information including updated monthly newsletters for each section, see www.nzta.govt.nz/waikatoexpressway(external link) or ‘like’ the Expressway on Facebook at www.facebook.com/waikatoexpressway(external link).
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