Public submissions are being called for on a key connection to the Hamilton Section of the Waikato Expressway, as the NZ Transport Agency gears up for full construction to start in October.
A Notice of Requirement to alter the designation and extend Resolution Drive to meet the expressway and create a link across the Expressway to Horsham Downs Road was publically notified today.
The Transport Agency’s acting Hamilton state highway manager Karen Boyt says the connections put forward follow extensive consultation with stakeholders and the community.
“We have worked alongside Hamilton City Council and Waikato District Council to ensure the connections at Resolution Drive Interchange work with the local road network, support growth and development on that side of the city and will keep the Horsham Downs community well connected,” Ms Boyt says.
“We encourage people to take part in this submission process.”
Hamilton City Council Infrastructure General Manager Chris Allen says the project will open further growth opportunities for the city.
“Better connectivity with the expressway and ease of access from and to Hamilton city is a big step towards enabling growth in the city,” he says.
“The project has also allowed us to develop the road hierarchy in the area to get the right traffic on the right roads and ultimately not only improve travel times, but safety as well.”
Mr Allen said the connection completes a strategic transport corridor for the city with the Resolution Drive interchange providing relief to the Hamilton ring road network and supporting development in Rototuna.
The process is another step as the NZ Transport Agency gears up to start full construction on the 21.8km Hamilton Section in October.
The Alliance, made up of the Transport Agency, Fletcher Construction, Beca, Higgins, Coffey and Hick Brothers, has started some enabling works this month at the northern end of the project between Lake Road and Osborne Road.
“They are building a 3km long, 10 metre wide haul road for trucks and heavy machinery in this area so they are ready to go come October,” says Ms Boyt.
The Alliance will also be constructing associated environmental controls, culverts, stripping topsoil and building a trial embankment just south of Lake Road.
Details of the Notice of Requirement can be viewed at www.waikatodistrict.govt.nz(external link) or at Waikato District Council offices, 15 Galileo Street, Ngaruawhaia. They can also be viewed at the Horsham Downs Community Church office, 10 Martin Lane, Hamilton.
Submissions on the Notice of Requirement to alter the designation are open until 5pm on 5 May. People can submit in writing to Waikato District Council c/o Rice Resources Ltd, PO Box 431, Waikato Mail Centre, Hamilton 3240 or by email info@riceres.co.nz.
Maps showing the proposed alterations and connections:
The Waikato Expressway is one of seven Roads of National Significance (RoNS) identified by the Government as being key to unlocking New Zealand’s future growth. It is being built in seven sections and is on track to be complete by 2020.
Once complete, the Waikato Expressway will reduce the journey time between Auckland and south of Cambridge by up to 35 minutes, improve connections for freight and business, support economic growth and development, and significantly improve safety on this stretch of SH1.
The 21.8km long Hamilton section of the expressway is the largest roading project to be undertaken in the Waikato, connecting to the Ngaruawahia section at Lake Road in the north and the Tamahere section in the south.
The project will pass to the south and east of Hamilton and include five interchanges, 17 bridges and connecting roads at Cambridge Road, Ruakura Road, Greenhill Road and Resolution Drive.
For more information go to www.nzta.govt.nz/waikatoexpressway(external link) or via Facebook - www.facebook.com/waikatoexpressway(external link).
