Waikato 2023 update

Waikato’s significant contribution to the economic wellbeing of New Zealand underpins the importance of the region having a safe, accessible land transport system that is both reliable and resilient to move people and goods along inter-regional routes.

Waikato, Auckland and the Bay of Plenty form the ‘golden triangle’ – New Zealand’s major growth area where 50 percent of our population lives, and where a significant proportion of our economic activity takes place.

The region has important road and rail connections to Tauranga and Auckland, connecting the three largest urban centres in the upper North Island, the two largest ports (Auckland and Tauranga) and the country’s largest international airport in Auckland. A new 30ha inland port is under construction at Ruakura in Hamilton, with some businesses already operating from the site. Together with a 263ha industrial and logistics park, this will create New Zealand’s largest integrated commercial hub. This makes reliable access to export markets critical when 40 percent of the nation’s freight movements go into, out of, or through Waikato.

The completion of the 102km SH1 Waikato Expressway in July 2022 has reduced travel times between Auckland and Tirau by 35 minutes and has helped reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries along this corridor which has high traffic volumes and freight movements.

Road safety remains a significant issue in Waikato, with more than 20 percent of New Zealand’s annual deaths and serious injuries occurring in the region. During the 2021–24 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP), we’re focusing on speed management and infrastructure improvements to make journeys safer across the region.

Through the Future Proof partnership, we’re working to develop a spatial plan and an integrated land use and transport programme for the Waikato region. We’re also working with partners to implement the Hamilton Mode Shift Plan to grow the city’s proportion of travel by public transport, walking and cycling.

Completed in the last 12 months

• The final 22km Hamilton section of the Waikato Expressway was completed, with the $837 million section opened in mid-July 2022. The Waikato Expressway improves safety and reliability and reduces travel times and congestion on SH1 by delivering a four-lane highway from the Bombay Hills south of Auckland to south of Cambridge.
• The new speed limit of 110km/h for the Waikato Expressway took effect from 13 July 2022.
• The final section of Te Awa River Ride was completed in late 2022 and a celebration event was held in March 2023. Te Awa shared path is a 65km route between Lake Karapiro and Ngāruawāhia and provides a safe and accessible shared path for communities and visitors.
• The new and safer $14.6 million SH30 Kōpaki Rail Overbridge was opened to traffic in May 2023.
• Changes have been made to SH3 Ōhaupō Road in Glenview to support a new bus hub on Glenview Road and improve safety and connections for people who are walking and cycling.

Underway or about to start

• Safety improvements continue on SH1 Cambridge to Piarere – a further 1km of median barrier just south of Maungatautari Road was installed in January 2023, to prevent head-on crashes and reduce deaths and serious injuries.
• Working with Hamilton City Council, we’re progressing the business case for the Eastern Pathway School Link shared path. This $22 million investment will provide a safe cycling network for local schools and improve public transport priority. Pre-implementation funding has been approved.
• Safe and reliable access around the Coromandel is a high priority for the region. A number of bridges have been upgraded, improved or maintained, with work progressing on the replacement of the SH26 Onetai Bridge and SH25 Pepe Bridge.
• Work to complete a 110m bridge to reconnect SH25A after the effects of Cyclones Hale and Gabrielle is underway, with completion expected in March 2024.

Improving safety

As part of the delivery of New Zealand’s road safety strategy, Road to Zero, we’ve identified two Waikato corridors and six intersections where safety improvements could make a big difference in saving lives:

• SH5 Tirau to Tārukenga corridor
• SH29 Piarere to SH28 corridor
• SH2 and SH27 intersection
• SH23 and SH39 intersection
• SH3 and Raynes Road intersection
• SH3 and SH4 intersection
• SH1 and Grey Street intersection
• SH1 Kahikatea Drive and Greenwood Street intersection

As part of the speed management programme, we consulted with the public in Nov-Dec 2022 on proposed changes to speed limits on SH24 Matamata, SH29 Te Poi to Tauriko, and SH29A Tauriko to Te Maunga. We’re considering feedback from this consultation alongside existing information to finalise the interim plan.

Construction work is underway on safety improvements between SH1/SH29 Piarere to SH5 Wairākei, with median barrier sections currently under construction along a 4.24km section of road north of Maroa Road and Tram Road and a 6.86km section from Atiamuri Bridge to Thorpe Road.

The detailed design phase is progressing for safety improvements (including a median and roadside barrier) on SH1 between Taupō Airport and Hātepe. The existing 100km/hr limit will remain while safety barriers are being delivered.

Work to widen the road and install flexible median safety barriers and roadside barriers between Napier Road and Centennial Drive on the SH1 East Taupo Arterial was completed in April 2022. The next stage of improvement on the section between Centennial Drive and Wairākei is expected to start in late 2023.

Safety improvements continue for SH1 Cambridge to Piarere. Stage 2 has started which will see 4.24km of median barriers installed.

The NZ Upgrade Programme SH1/SH29 intersection project is progressing, with the roundabout construction tender process expected to be completed in August 2023, and construction to begin in October 2023.

Annual maintenance

We’re spending $840 million this NLTP period on maintenance of state highways and local roads across Waikato to provide safe and reliable access and have completed a successful summer of annual maintenance and operations.

Funding overview

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