Latest information on SH1, Cambridge to Piarere

Construction to start on turnaround at SH1/Hydro Road

The next phase of the State Highway 1 Cambridge to Piarere Safety Improvements programme gets underway this month, as Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency starts construction of a turnaround bay at the intersection of SH1/Hydro Road, east of Cambridge.

The Hydro Road turnaround is the first of five turnarounds that will be constructed on SH1 between Cambridge and Piarere over the coming year, along with additional median barriers.

Once the turnaround is completed, over 3kms of median barriers extending from the end of the Waikato Expressway to Hydro Road will be installed.

Despite our best efforts, we are conscious that this work will still be disruptive, especially for residents in Karāpiro Village. While they can still turn left in and out of Hydro Road, they won’t be able to turn right (see below image). Alternative routes from Cambridge will be sign-posted and we are asking people to allow extra time for their journeys.

We are working with local contractors J.Swap and doing everything possible to minimise disruption for locals and visitors. This work has been timed to coincide with Ariki Street over the Karāpiro Dam being open until the end of July, offering Karāpiro Village residents and visitors an alternative route while we do this important safety work.

Our alternative option was to allow traffic through the site while under construction, which will take much longer to complete, and will still create delays for residents. We have opted for the option to get this work finished as quickly as possible, as long as the weather is on our side.

After 31 July, when Ariki Street closes, we expect the turnaround will be nearing completion (weather dependent) and the right turn into Hydro Road can be reinstated, with Stop/Go traffic management to enable the rest of the work to happen.

For more detailed information, please see our list of Frequently Asked Questions. 

We thank residents and people travelling between Cambridge and Piarere for their patience while we work to make SH1 safer. 

Detour routes

We have carefully considered the detour routes (see below image) and the impact to the residents in Karāpiro Village. We will ensure that there is always access to Karāpiro Village for residents.

With the construction crew onsite from 19 June, the recommended alternate routes are:

Cambridge to Karāpiro Village
1. Light vehicles coming from Cambridge to Karāpiro Village take Maungatautari Road and Ariki Street (add 6-10 minutes to your journey).

Karāpiro Village to Piarere
2. All vehicles (including heavy) heading south to Piarere from Hydro Road will need to turn left out of Hydro Road towards Cambridge, turn around at Shakespeare Street roundabout then continue south to Piarere (add 10-15 minutes to your journey).

There will be several nights of night works under Stop/Go traffic management while the site is established, and again in late July. The effect on SH1 traffic is expected to be minimal, although temporary speed limits will be in place near the work site.

The right turn out of Hydro Road onto SH1 towards Piarere will be reinstated after the turnaround is built, until the next turnaround is built north of Hickey Road, later in the year. At that point, the right turn out of Hydro Road onto SH1 will be closed.

Safety is our priority and we will monitor behaviour (including any unsafe turning manoeuvres) on SH1 while these changes are in place. Traffic management and electronic sign boards will be in place north and south of SH1 and on the Karāpiro side of the dam.

For more detailed information, please see our list of Frequently Asked Questions.

Turnarounds

Turnarounds are a key feature of the safety improvements underway on this stretch of highway. 

While people may need to drive a bit further to get to a turnaround, they offer a much safer right turning option for getting off and onto the highway and will provide better safety for people living and using the route.

View the video below on how to use a turnaround bay.

Additional information

For more information on the Cambridge to Piarere project, contact us at c2p@nzta.govt.nz

Visit our website www.nzta.govt.nz/c2p