SH1B Telephone Road Update

The upgrade of the rail crossing and Telephone Road/Holland Road/Marshmeadow Road intersection is underway

26 February 2025

Gathering to mark the start of construction were mana whenua with representatives from NZTA, Waikato District Council, contractor Higgins and consultant Beca

Work begins on SH1B improvements

This week construction work has begun on a range of improvements to the rail crossing on State Highway 1B Telephone Road and the adjacent intersection with Holland Road and Marshmeadow Road.

The occasion was marked with a blessing by mana whenua Ngāti Wairere and Ngāti Hauā with Waikato District Mayor Jacqui Church and staff from NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Higgins and Beca. 

Over the next 3 months the road will be raised by up to 410mm across a distance of 90 metres from the Telephone Road rail crossing. This will bring the road closer to the level of the rail tracks, reducing the risk that low vehicles damage the tracks when they go over the crossing. 

As well as raising the road, new bays will be added for turning into and out of Telephone Road from Holland Road. 

This means that if longer vehicles turning out of Telephone Road are stopped on the railway line due to traffic and a train is approaching, they will be able to move on to Holland Road. Likewise, if a truck is turning left into Telephone Road when the crossing arms are down, it will be able to pull over and wait instead of blocking Holland Road.     

Additionally, new safety signs and line marking will make the rail crossing and intersection safer for vehicles and trains.

The only safe way to carry out this work is to close the intersection for the duration of the project. The road is too narrow to be able to raise it by the required amount while trying to allow traffic to pass through the site.   

We understand this closure is inconvenient for the local community. However, a full closure allows the contractor to work quickly and safely to get the job done and the road and rail crossing open once more.

This map shows the detour routes around the closure

Detours while SH1B is closed

With the Telephone Road/Holland Road/Marshmeadow Road intersection closed all closed to traffic, there are a number of detours in place, shown on the map above.

There will be some disruption to regular journeys for residents and services. Here are some changes that will happen during construction:

• The Puketaha School bus will continue to turn around at Amber Lane as it has been doing. Students that need to pass over the Telephone Road crossing to get to or from school will be escorted through the site.  
• The school bus that travels east along Holland Road will turn around in a driveway just before the closure and use Vaile Road to get to Marshmeadow Road.
• The rubbish trucks that service properties down Holland Road will still continue to do so, although they will need to turn around at the closure points. 

A friendly reminder that these are rural roads with little space to turn around, so please make sure you watch out for the closure and detour signs.

Finally, thanks from us

We know that roadworks are always disruptive to the local community. Especially when detours are involved, as they add time and distance to those everyday journeys such as heading to work, getting the kids to school, or just a trip to  town.

In the case of Telephone Road, this comes on top of almost 3 years of the rail crossing being closed. 

NZTA would like to thank you in advance for your patience over the next few months while we complete this upgrade and get Telephone Road open once again. 

If you would like to get in touch with us, please email Waikato.Projects@nzta.govt.nz and you can find more information about the project at nzta.govt.nz/projects/sh1b-telephone-road-rail-crossing/.