Cambridge residents are invited to attend an open day to learn more about how traffic noise is managed on the state highway network.
The NZ Transport Agency will hold a community open day at the Hautapu Rugby Club rooms on Monday May 9.
Transport Agency staff will be onsite between 2pm and 7pm and members of the public can attend at any time during these hours.
The open day is a chance for residents to learn more about how traffic noise is managed, and to get details of the final quieter seal, which will be applied to the Cambridge section of the expressway in October.
Since the Cambridge Section opened to traffic in December last year the average travel time between south of Cambridge and Hamilton has been reduced by between four to six minutes.
Drivers are also saving between 10 and 13 minutes on average by using the Expressway and not queuing in Cambridge during peak travel times.
NZ Transport Agency Hamilton Highway Manager Kaye Clark says while the road has transformed the journey for people travelling through the Waikato, the project has significantly changed the environment for people living alongside it.
“Since opening in December last year we are aware that the environment has changed for many residents. Up until the opening of the Cambridge section they were living in a quiet rural area and now they have a four lane highway next door and they can hear the traffic.” Mrs Clark says.
“The Transport Agency takes our responsibilities to the community seriously and noise bunds and other measures have been designed and installed to reduce the sound of traffic along the project. These measures reduce the noise level but do not remove it completely.
“We have also worked with HEB Construction to bring forward the date that the final, quieter seal will be applied. That surfacing will further reduce the noise levels the residents are currently hearing.”
Once the final seal is applied in October there will be another round of checks and monitoring to ensure the road meets the required noise standards.
“We expect that it will meet the noise standards, but if it doesn’t we will investigate further mitigation measures.”
