SH1 Waikato Expressway overnight ramp closures at Hampton Downs

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency advises motorists that essential safety work is scheduled to take place on the ramps of the State Highway 1 (SH1) Hampton Downs Interchange between the end of May and the middle of June.

Both the northbound and southbound off-ramps will have additional barriers added, to bring them up to the standard required for this 110 km/h section of the Waikato Expressway.

Ramp closures – Sunday 21 May to Thursday 8 June

There will be a series of overnight ramp closures on both the Hampton Downs northbound and southbound off-ramps from Sunday 21 May, until Thursday 8 June. From Sunday 21 May to Thursday 25 May, closures are scheduled to take place between 8pm and 5.30am. We are yet to confirm the timings for off-ramp closures after Thursday 25 May, but we will communicate these as soon as they’re available.

All closures will take place Sunday to Thursday nights (no planned closures on Friday or Saturday nights) and will affect one direction of traffic at a time. The northbound ramps will close first, followed by the southbound ramps.

Full schedule of closures

This schedule may change, and drivers are encouraged to check the table at this link before beginning their journey.

Due to the narrow width of the on and off ramps, a full closure is needed for the barrier work to ensure the safety of site staff and to enable construction vehicles to safely enter and leave the site. Other work performed during this time will be the extension of the safety barrier along the off-ramps, ramp line-marking, cycle lane marking and signage, and pavement sealing.

The recommended detour when the southbound ramps and the northbound onramp are closed is to use the Te Kauwhata Interchange, travelling along Rodda Road and Whangamarino Road. For the northbound offramp closures the recommended detour is to head north past the interchange to Dragway Road, use the turnaround and then access the interchange using the southbound offramp.

People are asked to take extra care when travelling along the detour route by following any temporary speed limits, signs, and instructions from the traffic management team.

Detour route for heavy vehicles

• Overweight vehicles – can travel the detour if they hold a permit issued by Waikato District Council.
• 50MAX – there are no 50MAX bridge restrictions – refer to map of 50MAX routes.
• HPMV – can travel the detour if they hold a Waka Kotahi issued HPMV permit.

For up-to-date information on road works, traffic, detours and delays, drivers are encouraged to visit the Waka Kotahi Journey Planner website. 

Waka Kotahi Journey Planner website(external link)

Waka Kotahi thanks you for your patience while we complete this essential work to make our state highways safer and more resilient.