Works on the Hamilton section's Southern Interchange.

January 2018

Our project managers are smiling as earth-moving teams working on the Hamilton and Huntly sections of the Waikato Expressway have been making the most of the fine weather over spring and summer.

The sodden summer and autumn in 2016-17 saw these slip a little behind schedule. But dry weather this earthmoving season has been great for both sections, which are major components in Waikato’s biggest ever infrastructure project, the 102km Waikato Expressway.

The Huntly project began in 2015 and required 3.5 million m3 of earth to move. Work  started this summer with 1.3 million m3 to go. The Hamilton section started this summer season with 2.6 million m3 to move after 1 million m3 was shifted in the first year. That figure has been cut substantially this earthworks season.

The big machinery started rolling into both sites since earthworks season started on 1 October. Hamilton works are being accelerated as bridges are being completed so construction traffic can move freely.

Huntly is on track to open in early 2020 with Hamilton later that year.

The final section of the expressway to start construction, Longswamp, is now into year two. It is expected to open to traffic in early 2019.

Last month we marked the completion of the 4.8km Rangiriri section with an early-morning gathering at the paa site where we have symbolically reinterpreted the layout at the time of the 1863 battle. Check it out next time you are passing; access is from both the Te Kauwhata and Rangiriri off-ramps.

For more project information – photos, videos, news – go to www.nzta.govt.nz/waikatoexpressway where you can also sign up for emailed updates.

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The Longswamp section runs from Hampton Downs to the Te Kauwhata Interchange.

Longswamp

While some of the expressway work at Huntly and Hamilton is tucked out of sight, SH1 users can’t miss progress on much of the Longswamp section where the existing highway is being widened to four-lanes between the Rangiriri and Mercer sections.

This 5.9km section remains a construction zone until completion so take care and follow the 70km/h speed limit. The reduced speed limit is for the safety of all road users and the construction crews working nearby.

Traffic will be switched on to the new south-bound lanes mid-year, making room for work to start on the north-bound lanes. 

The great weather has seen steady progress on the Paddy Road overbridge and local road connections. A milestone coming up in the next month is the opening of the Rodda Road extension, connecting western-side local traffic to the Te Kauwhata interchange.

Similarly, Whangamarino Road is being extended to Paddy Road and connecting to the new bridge over the expressway. This will  keep local people connected and moving between the interchanges at Hampton Downs and Te Kauwhata.

Find out more about the project here

Guests at the completion event included Waikato Mayor Allan Sanson, King Tuheitia, Crown/Maori Relations Minister Kelvin Davis and Transport Agency chief executive Fergus Gammie.

Rangiriri

It wasn’t possible to have a public walkover and ribbon-cutting event to mark completion at Rangiriri as traffic has been on the new alignment – all four lanes and 100km/h – since Easter 2017 while finishing works continued.

About 220 people attended the Waikato-Tainui-led event on 16 December, mainly centred on the project to symbolically reinterpret the paa site. This “project within the project” recognises Rangiriri’s importance in New Zealand history as the site of the 1863 Battle of Rangiriri.

Crown/Maori Relations Minister Kelvin Davis joined representatives of Waikato-Tainui, including King Tuheitia, to celebrate the completion of both projects.

The paa site was significantly damaged by an upgrade to SH1 in 1965, and the new SH1 route provided the opportunity to reinstate the area.

“The Rangiriri project is far more than roading infrastructure. The project is a symbol of the Crown’s dedication to partnering with tangata whenua and righting past wrongs,” Mr Davis said.

The event also recognised the efforts of the project team. A collaborative approach to planning, design and construction was required to complete this challenging piece of infrastructure.

Find out more about the project here

Read Kelvin Davis’ media release here
 

Looking down on the Taupiri Pass where a 57-metre cutting is required.

Huntly

Earth-moving and bridge building have advanced over the summer, and the project is on track for a 2020 opening.

The 15.2km highway between the Ohinewai and Ngaruawahia sections, running east of Huntly town and over the Taupiri Range, is at the halfway point after work got under way in late 2015. 

Two of the nine bridges are now open to construction traffic and work is well under way on the other seven.

Next month, tentatively 12 February, the team will start work connecting the Huntly section to the Gordonton Road interchange. This means the south-bound free-flow lane access on to the Ngaruawahia section will close permanently and access to the expressway from Taupiri will be via the roundabouts above the expressway.

Closing the free-flow lane will not affect travel times significantly but is a layout change so please be aware.

Meanwhile there’s still plenty to do at the Taupiri Pass where a 57-metre cutting is needed at the summit of the route. See the latest timelapse and earlier ones showing progress, under the videos tab on the website

Look out for a video update which is just being finished.
You can watch the latest video flyover here showing recent advances right along the route.
 

Looking south on the Hamilton section at Ruakura, with the bridge over Ruakura Road now part of the haul road system, and in the distance earthworks for the Ruakura Interchange

Hamilton

The team within the CityEdge Alliance is now well into their second year of construction and progress can be seen from end to end on the 22km project.

The focus this summer is earthworks. The “big wet” last summer/autumn often saw earthmoving machines parked up and unable to work, they have been making the most of the great weather conditions since 1 October.

In November alone the team moved more than 400,000 m3 of sand and soil across the project.

The Hamilton section crosses 11 local roads, a state highway (26) and the East Coast Main Trunk Railway so bridges are a big part of the project.  Five bridges needed to be built early – at Kay Road, Gordonton Road, Ruakura Road and the rail line, SH26 at Morrinsville Road, and SH1 at Tamahere.

Getting these bridges built early means dump trucks are able to carry sand under (or over) the railway and the roads without disrupting trains or traffic. 

The first bridge to open was the East Coast Main Trunk Rail Bridge which crosses Ruakura Road, the rail line and Ryburn Road.  This has provided a critical link for hauling sand to build embankments as far north as Puketaha Road.

Dumptrucks began hauling sand over the bridge in October 2017 – just a year after construction started.

Bridges at Morrinsville Road and Gordonton Road opened to traffic in November and December 2017. These were built at ground level and the expressway will be excavated underneath. Taking the expressway under these busy roads helps reduce traffic noise.

The East West Link Bridge at the Southern Interchange in Tamahere will become another critical link for dump trucks and other earthmoving machines hauling sand and soil. It is expected to be in use for construction traffic October this year.

Meanwhile reconstruction has started at Ruakura Road, with traffic reduced to one-way for about three months between SH26 Morrinsville Road and the Vaile Road/Davison Road intersection. Traffic turning into Ruakura Road from Morrinsville Road can travel into Hamilton city, but the return trip requires a detour via Holland Road and SH1B. The detour adds several minutes to journey times.

In tandem with this work a roundabout is being built at the Ruakura Road/Morrinsville Road intersection to improve safety.
There are a lot of resources on the website including the latest aerial flyover here

More information

For more information on the Waikato Expressway, contact us at waikatoexpressway@nzta.govt.nz

Visit our website www.nzta.govt.nz/waikato-expressway