Ongoing work on the Waikato Expressway section near Ngāruawāhia will see night-time southbound traffic detoured. Photo / Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency
Ongoing work on the Waikato Expressway section near Ngāruawāhia will see night-time southbound traffic detoured. Photo / Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency
The Ngāruawāhia section of the Waikato Expressway will be closed to southbound traffic at night for about five weeks due to ongoing repair work and safety improvements to bring the section up to 110km/h standard.
The closures will be in place Sundays to Thursdays, from November 12 to December 15, 7pm to 5am.
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency said the usual detour via the old highway had been changed as there were also disruptive works in Ngāruawāhia township.
All SH1 southbound vehicles will be rerouted along SH1B-Gordonton Road.
Light traffic can turn off on to Lake Rd to rejoin SH1 at the Northern Interchange. However, heavy vehicles (50 tonnes and over) must use SH1B, including the local road detour around Telephone Rd, and connect to SH1 again at Cambridge or via SH26 into Hamilton.
The detours will be signposted. The Lake Rd detour would add about 10 minutes to travel times, while the freight detour would add up to 15 minutes.
Waikato Expressway Ngaruawahia section road works: Detours for light traffic and heavy vehicles overnight are in place. Images / Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency
Waka Kotahi said there was a big push to progress the construction work over this upcoming construction season and thanks to more resources from the contractor, the agency expected to see work accelerated this summer.
There would be only a brief break in work over the Christmas-New Year period, and the traffic management and temporary safety barriers would stay in place over the summer holidays.
The safety improvements needed to get to 110km/h standard included making side barriers continuous, upgrading some barriers, additional maintenance and turnaround bays for emergency services, shoulder widening and relocating some lighting.
The other ongoing work included resurfacing, drainage improvements, reshaping and hardening of the median area to limit moisture entering the pavement and prevent further failures.
The workswre expected to be completed by mid-2025, but Waka Kotahi and its contractors are looking at ways to have the work finished eaerlier.in place during earlier temporary repairs and while moisture monitoring was conducted.
The works were expected to be completed by mid-2025, but Waka Kotahi and its contractors were looking at ways to have the work finished earlier.
