December 2020 Update
State Highway 1 between Cambridge and Piarere is undergoing several safety improvements as part of the Government’s Road to Zero safety strategy.
There is also a great deal of behind-the-scenes planning going into the replacement of the SH1/29 intersection at Piarere which is part of the Government’s NZ Upgrade programme.
We have completed the construction of the first phase of flexible median barrier installation just south of Fergusson Gully Road on SH1, south of Cambridge.
During construction of the 2.5km of flexible road safety barriers, we took the opportunity to film and produce a short video showing the installation. The 2.2 minute video can be viewed on this link.
We did have delays to this project while additional investigations were undertaken to ensure stability of the road shoulder.
One of the northbound passing lanes was closed as a precautionary safety measure while these investigations were completed.
We thank motorists for their patience during these investigations and construction.
Shortly there will be some removal and trimming of vegetation on the roadsides to enable safer passage for wide loads.
There is still some resealing work to be done next year, with the first of this between Kentucky Road and Maungatautari Road. If you want to be added to the mailing list for updates on this work, please email west.waikato@fultonhogan.com.
You can also check what work is taking place in your area by visiting the NZ Transport Agency’s traffic and travel website.
There are more safety improvements being planned for 2021 on SH1 as we work to improve the safety of our roads and roadsides.
We all have a responsibility to make good choices on the roads, but we all can make mistakes. Improving our roads and roadsides so they are more forgiving of mistakes is part of the Road to Zero strategy.
This includes preventing the severity of head-on collisions and minimising impacts when drivers and riders veer off roads.
Median safety barriers prevent head-on crashes, meaning simple mistakes don’t result in someone being killed or seriously injured on our roads.
Design work is underway for further safety work, mainly median and roadside barriers in Waikato. We will be bringing the proposed designs to the local communities before they are finalised.
These include in the Karapiro area, where we are working on designs for barriers to go in from the reserve just south of Fergusson Gully Road to Maungatautari Road.
Barriers are also planned between Tokoroa to Taupo, and it is hoped that consultation, finalisation of the design, and construction can happen early in 2021.
Work on the upgrade of the SH1/29 intersection to a 2-lane roundabout, funded by the Government’s NZ Upgrade Programme, is also progressing.
Investigations such as geotechnical and ecology studies have started and more are planned in order to help determine the best site for the location and design of the roundabout.
The business case for the Cambridge to Piarere long term project (expressway extension), was re-evaluated in 2018 against the new vision for our transport network. Recent funding received means this business case is being completed and is expected to be presented to the Waka Kotahi Board in the new year.
The next steps will be to obtain designation and resource consents for the project, however there is no funding currently allocated for construction of an extension of the expressway.
We understand how important it is to the community to get certainty around the many aspects of the work on this highway.
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