SH1 Cambridge to Piarere

Project update

20 September 2024

Two temporary approaches will open on the new Piarere roundabout next week.

Piarere roundabout approaching major milestone

Great progress has been made on the new roundabout at the intersection of State Highway 1 and State Highway 29 in Piarere and motorists can look forward to travelling over it shortly. 

On Tuesday 24 September we’re opening 2 temporary approaches to the roundabout, while work continues on the third (Tīrau) approach.

To enable the traffic switch, a SH1 southbound lane closure is required so a temporary tie-in to the intersection can be constructed. 

The 1-day SH1 southbound closure will take place on Tuesday 24 September from 4.45am (subject to weather), impacting Hamilton to Tīrau traffic. Motorists will be required to detour via SH29, SH27, to SH1 adding around 12 minutes to journey times (see map below).

Northbound traffic will not be impacted, and access will remain for residents, school buses and emergency services. Traffic on SH29 and SH1 between Piarere and Cambridge will also not be affected.

Once the temporary tie-in is completed, the SH1 southbound lane is expected to re-open early evening on 24 September (see map below).

Read more here.

Southbound lane closure on Tuesday - 1 day only

• The 1-day SH1 southbound closure will take place on Tuesday 24 September from 4.45am (subject to weather).
• Traffic travelling south on SH1 from Hamilton to Tīrau will be required to detour via SH29, SH27, to SH1.
• Traffic travelling to Matamata/Tauranga on SH29 will continue as per normal.
• Traffic travelling north from Tīrau on SH1 will use a temporary road to connect to SH29 by the roundabout, where they can continue to SH1 (using the roundabout) or SH29.
• Traffic travelling to Cambridge or Hamilton from SH29 to SH1 will travel through the roundabout.
• Traffic travelling on SH29 to SH1 (Tīrau) will turn left onto the temporary road and connect back to SH1.

New temporary layout to open Tuesday evening

The SH1 southbound lane is expected to re-open early evening on 24 September with the new temporary layout in place.

The layout will see SH1 southbound traffic use the roundabout to turn onto the temporary road to carry on their journey south.

SH1 Tīrau traffic heading to SH29 will also use the temporary tie-in road, with a give way rule in place, when turning right onto SH1 to the new roundabout and exiting at SH29. SH1 Tīrau traffic heading north will enter a slip lane before merging with other northbound traffic before merging with other northbound traffic.

SH1 Piarere to Tīrau night closures

As part of the SH1 Tīrau to Waiouru accelerated maintenance project, the third section of SH1 to be partially closed (just nights) will be from Piarere (SH1/29 intersection) to Tīrau (SH1/SH27 intersection) in both directions.

This begins on Sunday 29 September from 7pm, with the road to reopen at 6am on Friday 18 October.

The night closures won't occur every night - they are from 7pm to 6am, Sunday to Thursday nights. The road will reopen from 6am each Friday morning until 7pm on Sunday nights.

There are 2 work sites within this section and both require structural asphalt resurfacing. In this instance, putting in place a fulltime 24/7 road closure is not as efficient as we need to ensure each layer meets quality standards before moving to the next. This traditional night work approach will reduce traffic disruption and allow other project areas to proceed simultaneously. Residents, businesses and emergency services will have access available at all times.

The detour is via SH29 and SH27 as shown in the map below.

The project is one of the largest and most ambitious maintenance and rehabilitation projects to be undertaken in New Zealand. There are multiple closures planned of SH1 between Piarere and Waiouru over the next 16 months. 

If you want to keep up with the information on these closures, sign up to the e-newsletter on the project website.

2024-27 National Land Transport Programme

The government has set a clear direction for us to deliver a better transport network for New Zealand and the newly released 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) lays out the activities and projects we’ll deliver with local government during the next 3 years.

Investment in Waikato in the 2024-27 NLTP period is targeted at creating a more efficient, safe, and resilient roading network to support the region’s critical role in the export of New Zealand’s primary products.

Waikato investment highlights for 2024-27 include work to progress on Road of National Significance - SH1 Cambridge to Piarere (read more below) and completion of the SH1/SH29 Cambridge to Piarere intersection improvements, a Road of Regional Significance project.

Read more here. 

Cambridge to Piarere expressway (C2P)

As part of the 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP), C2P will be prioritised as a project in the Waikato region.

We are committed to delivering this critical piece of infrastructure that will support economic growth and get people and freight to where they want to go, quickly and safely.

The project team is now working closely with landowners, councils, mana whenua and key stakeholders, preparing the consenting documentation and working on the detailed design.

More information will soon be available on the project website.

More information

For more information on the SH1 Cambridge to Piarere, contact us at c2p@nzta.govt.nz

Visit our website nzta.govt.nz/c2p