SH1 delays at Rangiriri – use alternative routes

Road users travelling through north Waikato this weekend may want to take an alternative route to avoid possible congestion at a works site on State Highway 1 at Rangiriri.

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) says the 4.8km Rangiriri section of the Waikato Expressway is down to single lanes with a reduced speed limit due to surfacing work, which will be completed by Easter (weather dependent).

Traffic was delayed at the site last weekend, and similar traffic management will be in place this weekend, before more lanes can open next week.

“Friday afternoon and Sunday afternoon will be the peak times again and people may want to consider using SH2 and SH27 to avoid the Rangiriri works,” says NZTA’s Regional Manager for Infrastructure Delivery, Jo Wilton.

“We don’t expect traffic volumes to be as high as last weekend – when there were multiple events on in Auckland – but using the alternative route will provide a more reliable journey time.”

The Rangiriri section has been under a under 70km/h speed restriction since repairs finished before Christmas, with a settling period required before final chip-seal surfacing.

Contractors began chip-sealing the northbound lanes on 6 March. The southbound final surfacing will run for up to three days from Sunday 17 March. While this work is underway, southbound off and on-ramps to the interchanges will be closed and local traffic going in and out of Rangiriri and Te Kauwhata interchanges will need to use alternative routes.

Sealing work is being done from south to north so the Rangiriri on-ramp will open as soon as possible.

Traffic will continue on a single lane in each direction until the new seal is bedded in and sweeping completed. The contractor and their traffic management staff will continue to monitor the situation and open more lanes as soon as possible.

“If the weather plays ball, Easter holiday traffic will be traveling through here on all four lanes ensuring more reliable journeys times and everyone’s valuable time is spent enjoying the break,” says Ms Wilton.
SH1 surfacing works on SH1 at Rangiriri information sheet - February 2024 [JPG, 188 KB]

Alternative routes:

Auckland to Hamilton: SH2/SH27/SH26 –  adds about 30min to journey time. A good option on Friday and Sunday afternoons/evenings.

Hamilton to Auckland: SH26/SH27/SH2 – adds about 30min. A good option on Friday and Sunday afternoon/evenings.

Auckland to Tauranga: Take SH2 or SH27 –  no change in journey time.