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SH1 Cambridge to PiarereMeet the C2P team; consents granted - what's next; how we protect the environment and more. |
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12 November 2025 |
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Meet the C2P team - community information day 19 NovemberCome along to our community open day to find out more about the SH1 Cambridge to Piarere Expressway project (C2P) and the latest news on local state highway projects. The project team are organising an afternoon drop-in session with maps, information updates and displays and so locals can meet the project team members. There’ll be some handouts for you to take away (fact sheets, project updates, newsletters etc) and you’ll be able to watch an animated video of what the project may look like once complete (a fly-through). Put Wednesday 19 November in your diary – anytime from 2pm to 6pm. You can attend anytime – don’t all rush in at the start! You’ll be able to browse the information on your own or speak to one of the team. There will be information and staff available on the day about other projects, including Hamilton Southern Links, summer maintenance, and other local projects.
When: Wednesday 19 November – anytime between 2pm and 6pm |
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Consents granted and route confirmed – what’s next?C2P has taken a major step forward with resource consents granted and the designated route confirmed. This decision, made by the Expert Consenting Panel appointed by the Chief Environment Court Judge, is a significant milestone towards delivering a safer and more resilient state highway between Cambridge and Piarere. We are now working through the decision to ensure our design reflects the decision and conditions covering how we will construct, maintain and operate the expressway. Key consent conditions cover how we will manage ecological areas and environmental considerations such as enhancing or remediating streams and water flow, cultural and historic heritage, ecological and species management. Other conditions set out how we must manage stormwater management during and after construction, dust and noise from construction and traffic. While this work is underway, we continue to acquire property, permits, designing the full 16km expressway and planning any early work. Before construction can start, we have to do some work to prepare for it. We expect to start early next year and this may include relocating lizards, installing bat roosts, removing trees and installing noise walls. We are aiming to begin construction in 2026, subject to funding and other supporting activities being completed. When these are confirmed, construction is expected to take 5 to 6 years. We'll keep the community updated on these works. The Panel’s decision can be found on the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) website: EPA fast-track consenting - SH1 Cambridge to Piarere For more information check out these media articles - |
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How we protect the environmentThe C2P expressway inevitably means some changes in the local environment. At NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) we care about the environment and want to do the right thing. When planning and designing the new expressway, we carried out ecological assessments to look at the value and quality of the environment and certain plants and animals to help us identify and manage them as we build it. We avoided the most significant ecological areas in our route planning and will minimise impacts through our design and activities. How we will protect the environment during and after construction will be set out in our management plans. These will also reflect consent conditions we have to follow. We will avoid high ecological value areas and offset and compensate for impacts on wetlands, freshwater habitats, and indigenous species, including long-tailed bats. Strict conditions cover how we will manage noise, vibration, traffic, air quality, and stormwater management during construction and operation. Information on the conditions can be found on the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) website. |
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A Safer, Smoother Journey AheadWhile final design touches are still being made, the project promises a safer and more efficient route for all road users. Here’s some of what you can expect when the C2P Expressway extension is complete.
Want to see what the future holds? Visit C2P for a map and animated fly-through. |
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Why extend the Waikato Expressway?Anyone who has travelled on SH1 between Cambridge and Piarere is aware it’s a very busy road which doesn’t take much to become a slow-moving and congested – particularly around holiday weekends! Extending the Waikato Expressway to Piarere will see many benefits for how both through and local people and freight can move. There will be economic benefits from improved travel times and reliability, which will boost economic growth in the region and between the critical economic triangle of Auckland, Hamilton and Tauranga. The route will be more resilient with traffic flowing better and fewer interruptions due to crashes or slow vehicles, reducing congestion and improving safety at the end of the Waikato Expressway, and improving access and community connections with extended local roads. The expressway will result in a safer state highway corridor with reduced crash risks, particularly at local intersections, and a safer transition from 4 lanes to 2 when traffic naturally slows and merges at the now complete, future-proofed SH1-SH29 roundabout. Reducing the amount of traffic on the current state highway will provide the local community with better connections, lowered crash risks at local intersections and congestion points and with reduced delays. There will be better connections to Lake Karāpiro, Karāpiro Dam and Karāpiro Road facilities including Karāpiro School. Local development – recreational, housing and business/industrial - will be supported as safer traffic on local roads creates opportunities to develop. Enhanced accessibility though safer traffic on local roads will make access safer and easier for the local community. |
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Safer journeys through SH1/SH29 - Piarere roundabout now completeOne of Waikato’s most anticipated intersection upgrades is complete, with work wrapped up at the new 60-metre roundabout in Piarere. Construction began in January 2024, to upgrade the T-intersection at SH1 and SH29, following consistent community calls for a safer solution. A roundabout was chosen for its proven safety benefits and network resilience. It was also designed with a fourth ‘stub’ to futureproof the connection seamlessly to the C2P expressway. The finished result is a double-lane roundabout featuring 2 pedestrian/cyclist underpasses, an improved stormwater system and upgraded street lighting and landscaping. NZTA appreciates the support received during construction and hopes that people enjoy this safer, more connected intersection. As usual with large infrastructure projects like this, some minor finishing touches including surfacing and line marking will continue through the summer sealing season, however the major works are complete. |
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SH29 - plan before you travelState Highway 29 (SH29), from Piarere to Tauriko via the summit of the Kaimai Range, is a key corridor NZTA is focused on strengthening this summer maintenance season, so it remains safe, reliable and meets the needs of all road users. There are also other work sites where important improvements to the state highway are being made. Due to the number of sites being worked on now we suggest you allow up to 20 minutes extra time for travel through the lower Kaimai Range and Tauriko. SH29 summer maintenance programme Work is already underway on SH29 this summer maintenance season with a road rebuild on the Bay of Plenty side of the lower Kaimai Range, this work is ongoing until early 2026. Crews are digging out the existing road surface then building it back up layer by layer. The road will have a smooth asphalt surface once complete. Other planned maintenance work:
Roadworks may be postponed due to rain or other factors that disrupt the weekly schedule. Please be aware there may be other less disruptive state highway works not listed in this. Later this month we’ll be closing SH29 over the Kaimai Range for 5 nights of work at different sites. This includes urgent work on the Ruahihi Bluffs, just west of the Ruahihi Power Station. The state highway will be closed Sunday 30 November to Thursday 4 December between 7:30pm and 4am each night. We understand this work will cause inconvenience; however, our state highway network is key to New Zealanders’ ability to travel throughout the country, and this work is necessary to ensure the road is safe and accessible for everyone who travels on it. People are encouraged to check the NZTA Journey Planner on the day of travel to confirm the status of the state highway network before setting out for your destination. Ōmanawa and Tauriko The new Ōmanawa Bridge build is also underway - the first phase in the SH29/SH29A Tauriko West RoNS project. It is being built alongside the existing one, on an alignment that fits with the future design for Tauriko West. Just up SH29, works continue between Tauriko and Belk Road as part of the Tauriko Enabling Works. We're opening the fourth leg of the Redwood Lane roundabout - the Kaweroa Drive extension this Saturday 15 November. This new road provides a new link to the Tauriko Business Estate and SH36. There is also traffic management along this stretch through to Cambridge Road intersection. Find out more Once the work is finished, drivers can look forward to a safer, smoother drive along this stretch of SH29. Sign up to receive regional maintenance email updates: You can find out more about the Tauriko West project here. |
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More information |
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For more information on the SH1 Cambridge to Piarere, contact us at c2p@nzta.govt.nz Visit our website www.nzta.govt.nz/c2p |
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