Urgent works on the Waikato Expressway will require night-time detours at Rangiriri and near Ngāruawāhia in the next fortnight.
Recent heavy rain has caused pavement deterioration on the Rangiriri section of the expressway and repairs are needed on the nights of 2 and 3 July (with 4 July as a contingency).
The Ngāruawāhia section repairs are scheduled on 5 July and 9 July. The repairs are within the current remedial and safety improvements worksite where traffic is on single lanes.
“These are two very different sites but with the same problem of the road surface not coping with combination of heavy traffic and such wet winter conditions,” says Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency Regional Infrastructure Manager, Jo Wilton.
“The 4.8km Rangiriri section is due for full resurfacing works this spring/summer but some areas can’t wait until then so our contractors need to make emergency repairs.
“The Ngāruawāhia section issues are within the current worksite where the pavement is struggling with all traffic on single lanes while those long-term remedial works are done.”
The Rangiriri works can be completed with short local detours. Southbound traffic on 2 July will be detoured around the work using the Te Kauwhata off and on-ramps. The northbound detour on 3 July will see traffic off at the Rangiriri off-ramp and using Te Wharepu Road to get back on the expressway at the Te Kauwhata Interchange.
The closures will be in place from 8pm to 5am.
The Ngāruawāhia works are northbound 5 July and southbound 9 July, with traffic on and off the expressway at Taupiri and Horotiu interchanges between 7pm and 5am. Contingency dates are the following nights.
The detour, via the old highway route through Ngāruawāhia, will be clearly signposted and add 5-10 minutes to travel times. HPMVs must use SH1B and overweight vehicles need to use SH2/27, under an existing overweight permit.
