Waikato Expressway latest news
- Te Rapa section email update - 3 May 2012 (PDF, 481 KB)
The Waikato Expressway will provide 102km of continuous divided four-lane highway and reduce the length of State Highway 1 by 6km. It will provide a further 12km of new or upgraded links and a new bridge over the Waikato River north of Hamilton.
Benefits
The Waikato Expressway will:
- improve economic growth and productivity for Auckland, Waikato and Bay of Plenty through more efficient movement of people and freight between Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga and Rotorua
- improve the reliability of the transport network through a more robust and safer road between Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga and Rotorua
- reduce travel times between Waikato and Auckland
- support the growth strategy for the central Waikato.
Completion of the whole Waikato Expressway is targeted for 2019. The individual sections of the Expressway are at the stages described below (as at July 2011):
- Pokeno & Mercer sections totalling 22.6km are completed.
- Longswamp section and Rangiriri section totalling 10.3km are now being investigated and designed, with enabling works on Rangiriri (archaeology and Transpower relocation) now underway.
- Ohinewai section of 7.0km is completed.
- Huntly section of 15.2km is now in secondary investigation and specimen design..
- Ngaruawahia section of 12.3km is now in the construction phase with the contract having been awarded in March 2011. Main construction work is due to start in Spring 2011.
- Te Rapa section of 7.3km is under construction.
- Hamilton section of 21.8km is now being investigated and designed.
- Tamahere interchange of 2.4km is completed.
- Tamahere section of 4.4km will is currently under investigation with design to follow.
- Cambridge section of 10.4km is being designed.
Waikato Expressway map - cartoon style
Waikato Expressway Network Plan
To support the integration of the Waikato Expressway with local transport networks and land use planning, NZTA has developed a Network Plan in collaboration with key investment partners. View the Waikato Expressway Network Plan (PDF, 2.77MB).
