Construction to begin on new Cambridge roundabout

The proposed Hanlin Road roundabout in Cambridge with the Avantidrome in the background. Image / Waipa District Council

Construction is set to begin on Cambridge's Hanlin Road roundabout, to provide a safer entry and exit for motorists around the Avantidrome, and St Peters College.

Around 10,000 people travel through the current intersection daily, with high surges of traffic during events.

Since 2012 there have been 12 crashes within 300m of the intersection.

One of these was fatal, involving a vehicle turning right out of Hanlin Road.

There were also concerns over Cambridge's rapidly fast growth, along with high-speed traffic in the area meaning it's unsafe for cyclists and pedestrians trying to cross Cambridge Road.

The project is being jointly paid for by NZTA, and Waipā District Council, and will begin in December with the construction of temporary roads and pre-construction work.

At the start of 2020, construction of the roundabout will begin and is aimed to be completed by July 2020.

The new roundabout will include access to St Peter's, Avantidrome, Hamilton and Cambridge Roads, a bus stop next to the Avantidrome, a pedestrian refuge on Cambridge Road, improved access to Gallagher Bike Skills park, shared paths and cycleways connecting to Cambridge, and new stormwater wetlands to help collect stormwater and groundwater.

An art sculpture for the centre of the roundabout is yet to be decided.
In public consultation, 69 per cent of respondents also said they would use the roundabout as a pedestrian or cyclist to travel around the nearby areas safely.

On social media, Waipā District Council said that major changes to the intersection could not be done while the road was still SH1 due to high flows on the road, but with the Waikato Expressway taking traffic off the road, the council could plan for an upgrade.