Update on projects on SH1

Too many deaths and serious injuries

The recent fatalities and serious injuries caused by crashes on Waikato roads have been devastating. Our thoughts go out to the whanau, friends and communities so deeply affected by each and every one, and to the emergency services involved.

With such carnage on our roads, there are questions to ask. What is Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency doing about it, and is the work happening quickly enough?

We can assure you progress is being made, and this will result in much safer roads throughout the Waikato. 

The long-term plans for a 16km four-lane expressway between Cambridge and Piarere are progressing. A huge project like this does take time though, and even if we had the construction funding right now, it would be a number of years before the earthworks could begin.

In the meantime, Waka Kotahi continues to work on safety improvements that can be made now. Keeping people alive is our number-one priority.

Up to 75% of the people who die or are seriously injured on our rural roads have had a head-on collision, or have run off the road. The proven solution to preventing head-on crashes is to physically separate opposing traffic, using the flexible median barrier system. This means that if someone loses control or drifts across the centreline, the result isn't a deadly head-on crash. In most cases when someone hits a flexible barrier they bounce off and can continue on their way, with minimal damage. By reducing the consequences of being distracted and crossing the centre line, we are making our roads safer for all New Zealanders. When fitted along the side and centre of the road, flexible road safety barriers reduce the number of people killed by up to 90%.

These changes support our Road to Zero vision.

Read on for specific information on what we are doing and planning on SH1 in the Waikato. 

Cambridge Town Hall will be the venue for an information day in November

Public information day on November 17

Waka Kotahi is planning on holding a public information day on November 17, 2022 at the Cambridge Town Hall.

This is an ideal opportunity for members of the community to come and talk to the various teams who are working on the projects on this corridor. The projects include the plans to improve the safety on the current highway, as well as the long-term plans for the expressway between Cambridge and Piarere.  

There will also be some options for you to consider about the shared paths that are being designed as part of the long-term plans. 

Information on the SH1/SH29 intersection improvement will be available, and there are plans for members of the maintenance team to be available to talk about what is planned. 

We will send out more information closer to the date.

Map of where proposed expressway is planned. Click on the preferred route link below for a larger image

Cambridge to Piarere Expressway

We are currently well into the process to protect the preferred route under the Resource Management Act and through regional consents. Route protection is a very important step to ensure we are ready to proceed if and when the funding is made available.

Lodgement will be made after further investigations into the ecology of the area, and once the continued delicate negotiations with affected landowners is completed.

The concept design plans will be available at the public information day to be held in Cambridge on November 17, and we'd love you to come along and discuss the project with our team members.

Notices of Requirement will in due course be lodged with Waipā District Council and Matamata-Piako District Council. At the same time, Waka Kotahi will lodge resource consent applications with the Waikato Regional Council.

When these are lodged, we will request that they are publicly notified - this means that any member of the public can make a submission to the councils with respect to the notice of requirement or the consent applications, and participate fully in the process.

We will keep you updated via this e-newsletter database and through our website when we have definite dates for the lodgements.

The new flexible median barriers installed near Maungatautari Road

Safety infrastructure work planned

State Highway 1 Cambridge to Piarere

Under our Road to Zero Speed and Infrastructure Programme, there is a lot of work going on to improve safety on State Highway 1 between Cambridge and Piarere.

Flexible median barriers have already been installed on parts of SH1, and there is a further 4.2km to be installed in the 2022/23 construction season, on the southern end. It is anticipated this will take three weeks and start in early December. When firm dates of this work are known, we will let you know.

Plans for the northern end of this highway (from Fergusson Gully Road back to the Waikato expressway) include installing another 7.9km of flexible median barriers and associated turnaround areas. Roundabouts (including at Karāpiro Road/SH1), left-in/left-out designs and improved lighting on some intersections and rumble strips are also proposed.

The feasibility plans have just been signed off and we’re now progressing to detailed design and landowner and community engagement. Designs will then be finalised. It is anticipated construction could start in the summer of 2023/24.

We have started landowner engagement with more to be arranged shortly. The project team will also be at the information day on November 17 to talk to you about the proposed plans.

State Highway 29, Piarere to Kaimai Range

A feasibility study and concept designs have been completed to improve safety on SH29, from the SH29/SH1 intersection though to the SH29/SH28 intersection at the base of the Kaimai Range. The safety improvements proposed include median barriers, turnarounds, roundabouts and intersection left-in/left-out designs. This project will be delivered in stages and the first will be between the SH1/SH29 and SH29/Hopkins Road intersections.

State Highway 1, Piarere to Taupō

Further, between Piarere and Taupō the first stage of the safety improvements on SH1 are under way, with the installation of flexible safety barriers. More are planned.

Connecting with current shared paths such as the Te Awa trail in Leamington is a goal

Walking & cycling connections

Cambridge is known and much admired for its wonderful shared pathways and great opportunities for both walking and cycling.

The community connections gained through shared pathways are growing through the efforts of many, including Te Awa River Ride Trust and both Regional and District Councils. Such facilities help make our towns and cities more accessible, provide tourism opportunities, reduce traffic congestion and greenhouse gas emissions, support people to be active and contribute to healthy communities.

Building on these efforts to connect Cambridge’s shared pathways, it will be possible to one day to connect not just to Hamilton and Ngāruawāhia, but also with the Hauraki Trails to the north-east, and the Waikato River Trails further south.

We are helping this become a reality, and as part of this work we will soon be asking for your opinions on the opportunity to include walking and cycling as transport options as part of the investment in the long-term plans between Cambridge and Piarere.

Recently, the Government’s Emissions Reduction Plan was released. It calls for a 41% reduction in emissions from the transport sector by 2035 (from 2019 levels). Waka Kotahi’s role is to ensure road and transport corridors are fit for the future by including a greater range of transport choices.

To be funded, any transport projects must demonstrate how they will contribute to or be consistent with emissions-reduction objectives. Other transport choices such as walking and cycling needs to be included in any transport planning such as the work we are doing on the future of State Highway 1 between Cambridge and Piarere.

As with any major transport projects, before funding can be sought, there needs to be investigations into how these connect to other pathways and transport hubs to provide wider transport networks. Also important is the safety of those pathways, how attractive they are to potential users, feasibility of constructing, maintaining and operating the pathways, and any cultural and environmental effects.

Working closely with our partners and using some of the criteria mentioned above, we have identified four possible routes to consider for a new shared path between Cambridge and Piarere. One is alongside the proposed Cambridge to Piarere Expressway and the others are closer to Lake Karāpiro. We are about to start discussing the possibilities with landowners who may be affected.

You will be able to give your views at the information day on November 17, where the project team will be available to discuss the options and hear your views. There will also be on-line options for participation. 

We want you to tell us what is important to you regarding shared pathways as part of our longer-term plans for improvements of our transport network.

High volumes of traffic negotiate the SH1/29 intersection

SH1/SH29 roundabout

The plans for the roundabout at the busy and high-risk SH1/SH29 junction, replacing the existing T-intersection, went through the Environment Court on September 5-8. We now await the decision, and discussions with affected landowners are continuing.

The start date for construction will be dependent on the Court decision and land acquisition negotiations. It is anticipated construction of this project, funded as part of the New Zealand Upgrade Programme (NZUP), will take two years to complete.

More 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