Lane changes are due to happen on Cobham Drive in Hamilton (SH1) on Friday. Image / Supplied
Lane changes are due to happen on Cobham Drive in Hamilton (SH1) on Friday. Image / Supplied
Lane changes on Cobham Drive in Hamilton (SH1) are due to happen on Friday (weather dependant) as construction of the Ring Road–Wairere Drive extension project reaches another key milestone.
From Friday road users will be moved over on to the new lanes to allow the city council's construction team to raise Cobham Drive 6m above what will be the new Wairere Drive extension and build the Cobham Drive overbridge.
The move will also ensure the site is as safe as possible for both road users and workers. The current lane setup will still exist – two lanes heading into the city and one lane heading south towards Cambridge.
There will be new slower speed limits through the site, and the council is urging motorists to take extra care while people get used to this change.
People on bikes and pedestrians will need to use Hungerford Crescent/Cambridge Road as an alternative route or use the Sillary Street underpass which safely connects Hamilton East (Grey Street) to the Hamilton Gardens.
The project team and road crews will be working to minimise disruption to residents and road users. As always people are advised to plan and allow extra time for their journey, the council says
The Cobham Drive work is part of the Southern Links traffic plan. Image / Supplied
The final connection of the Ring Road is an important piece of the puzzle for the city's transport network and once completed will support people getting around Hamilton more easily, as well as supporting walking, people on bikes or on public transport.
Once completed the final piece of the Ring Road, the extension of Wairere Drive will connect the future bridge over the Waikato River into Peacocke. Work will also include extensions of shared walking and biking paths for people to enjoy.
The Peacocke programme will deliver a new bridge, main roads, parks, and strategic water, wastewater and stormwater networks.
Other work includes protecting and enhancing the environment, including the extensive gully system, and investigating community facilities which are also important parts of creating a new community in Peacocke.
Once completed the final piece of the Ring Road, the extension of Wairere Drive will connect the future bridge over the Waikato River into Peacocke. Image / Supplied
When completed, Peacocke will be home for more than 20,000 Hamiltonians.
The Cobham Drive work is part of the Southern Links traffic plan which will:
• Link State Highway 1 from Kahikatea Drive in Hamilton City to Tamahere and the Waikato Expressway in the south
• Link State Highway 3 from Hamilton Airport to central and east Hamilton
• Establish a key transport network within the Peacocke growth cell
• Provide the building blocks for further urban development in the region
The council says Southern Links will reduce congestion, improve safety on SH1 and SH3 in the Hillcrest and Melville suburbs of Hamilton, improve freight flows for industry and be a key part of the city's urban arterial network integrated into the HCC Access Hamilton Strategy.
