Waikato Expressway

Waikato Expressway
State Highway 1
Route information
Maintained by New Zealand Transport Agency
Length:	67.3 km (41.8 mi)
Existed:	8 May 1993 – present
History:	Under construction
Major junctions
North end:	Bombay Hills Auckland Southern Motorway
	Exit 477 State Highway 2
South end:	Just south of Cambridge
Location
Primary destinations:	Pokeno, Mercer, Meremere, Te Kauwhata, Rangiriri
Highway system
New Zealand state highways Motorways and expressways List Unused

The Waikato Expressway is a dual carriageway section of State Highway 1 in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand that is being constructed in stages. It forms part of the link between Auckland and Hamilton.

Currently, the expressway is made up of four sections: the first beginning at the end of the Auckland Southern Motorway at the top of the Bombay Hills and ending at Longswamp, the second beginning at Te Kauwhata and ending at Ohinewai, the third beginning at Taupiri and ending at Te Rapa and the fourth beginning at Tamahere and ending 2.5 km south of Cambridge. The first two sections are linked by a three lane section of State Highway 1 that will eventually be upgraded to four lanes and thus become a part of the expressway. Further extensions to the expressway are planned, and when completed, the expressway will form a 101.4 km long continuous four-lane dual carriageway from the Bombay Hills to beyond the town of Cambridge, 24 kilometres south-east of Hamilton. When completed, Hamilton, as well as several other towns along the current route of State Highway 1 (such as Huntly, Ngaruawahia and Cambridge), will be completely bypassed by the expressway, allowing through traffic to move much more efficiently.^[1]

History

While not officially designated as the Waikato Expressway until the early 2000s, the upgrading of State Highway 1 from the Bombay Hills to Mercer from 1992 to 1993 can be considered to be the first step in the construction of the expressway. During this upgrade, State Highway 1 from the end of the Southern Motorway to just north of Mercer was upgraded from two lanes to four, with grade separated interchanges constructed at Bombay and the junction with State Highway 2 just north of the township of Pokeno. A bypass of Pokeno was also constructed at this time, as well as several partially separated interchanges to allow access for local property owners along the route.^[2]

The next stage of the Waikato Expressway to be completed was the Rangiriri to Ohinewai section in 2003. The northern half of this section follows the pre-existing highway while the southern half of this section deviates from the original highway in order to bypass Ohinewai and features a diamond interchange on Tahuna Rd.^[3]

The Mercer to Longswamp section continues on from the existing expressway between the Bombay Hills and Mercer and was opened in July 2006. This section uses the existing two-lane section of State Highway one as a carriageway for northbound traffic, while a separate carriageway for southbound traffic was constructed in parallel.^[4] A grade-separated interchange at Mercer was also constructed, incorporating an overpass for the southbound lanes to cross over the North Island Main Trunk railway at this point.

As the two dual carriageway sections of the expressway (Bombay Hills to Longswamp and Rangiriri to Ohinewai) are not continuous, the section of highway between Longswamp and Rangiriri was upgraded to a 2+1 road in 2005 with the intention of upgrading this section to four lanes in the future.^[5]

In 2009 the Waikato Expressway was announced by New Zealand's minister of Transport, Steven Joyce, as being one of seven "roads of national significance".^[6]

The Mangaharakeke Drive section, originally known as the Te Rapa Bypass, was opened on 3 December 2012 between Horotiu and Rotokauri.^[7] Construction of the section of the expressway and Mangaharakeke Drive between Taupiri and Horotiu, bypassing Ngaruawahia, began in late 2011 and was officially opened on 14 December 2013.^[8]

Following funding approval in December 2012^[9] construction of the Rangiriri and Cambridge sections commenced in 2013, in March and August respectively. The Cambridge section was officially opened on 15 December 2015 by Transport Minister Simon Bridges,^[10][11] with the road opening to traffic the next day.

The Rangiriri section mainline opened on 21 June 2016, however local road connections in the southbound direction will not be complete until late 2016.^[12] Construction of the Huntly section began in late August 2015. Construction of the biggest section, the Hamilton section, commenced in March 2016.^[13] Construction for the Longswamp section, the last section to commence, began October 2016.^[14]

Section	Location	Length	Cost	Constructed	Note
Pokeno	Bombay–Mercer	12 km		–1995
Mercer	Mercer–Hampton Downs	11 km	$83.5m[15]	–2006
Longswamp	Hampton Downs–Te Kauwhata	6 km	$115m[16]	2016–2018
Rangiriri	Te Kauwhata–Ohinewai	5 km	$105m[17]	2013–2016	Mainline opened June 2016, local road connection open in late 2016.[12]
Ohinewai	Ohinewai bypass	7 km	$24m[18]	–2003
Huntly	Ohinewai–Taupiri	15 km	$458m[19]	2015–2019	New highway bypassing Huntly
Ngaruawahia	Taupiri–Horotiu	12 km	$190m[20]	2011–2013	Opened December 2013. New highway bypassing Ngaruawahia.
Te Rapa	Horotiu–Rotokauri	7 km	$195m[21]	2010–2012	Opened December 2012. New highway bypassing Te Rapa.
Hamilton	Lake Road interchange–Tamahere	22 km	$973m[22]	2016–2020
Tamahere	Tamahere bypass	2 km
Cambridge	Tamahere–Cambridge south	16 km	$250m[23]	2013–2015	Opened 16 December 2015. Upgraded highway Tamahere to Cambridge north, new highway Cambridge north to Cambridge south

Economic benefits

A 2009 report for New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) concluded that the benefit cost ratio of the Expressway was 0.5.^[24]

The figures were reworked in 2010 because "Infometrics original RoNS analysis and report was concluded in December 2009. Since this time, NZTA published an updated conventional evaluation of the Waikato Expressway. The materiality of the change to the Waikato Expressway assessment warranted an update and re-run of the CGE model." The re-run model shows benefits of $186.3m pa, against annual costs of $87.3m. However, this is based on a total cost for the road of $1454.4m, which omits land costs, "as from an economy-wide perspective this is merely a transfer of ownership of an existing asset".^[25] In June 2015 the NZTA estimated the total cost of the road at between $2,200m and $2,400m.^[26] A critic has said that the calculations do not take account of the costs of owning and operating a vehicle on the roads, nor rising fuel costs.^[27] In 2016 some MPs were concerned Auckland congestion would cut travel time savings and hence the cost-benefit ratio of 1.4:1. One MP commented that the alternative commuter train, with the same CBR, didn’t "get a look in".^[28]

Exit list

Territorial authority	Location	km	Exit	Destination	Notes
Auckland Council (Franklin Local Board)	Bombay	471.5		SH 1 Southern Motorway north Auckland	Waikato Expressway begins
		471.9	471	Great South Road Bombay, Pukekohe Bombay Service Centre	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
		473.2	473	Beaver Road	No east/west connection
Waikato District		474.5	474	Ridge Road
	Pokeno	476.0	476	Razorback Road	Northbound entrance and southbound exit
		476.7	477	SH 2 Coromandel Peninsula, Tauranga
		477.9		Great South Road Pokeno	Northbound entrance and southbound exit
		478.9		Great South Road Pokeno	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
				Pioneer Road	Northbound exit is right hand turn
	Mercer	483.0		Mercer
	Meremere			Oram Road
				Island Block Road Meremere	To close when full interchange is built at Spring Hill Road
				Spring Hill Road Meremere	Full interchange to be built as part of stage 2
				Dragway Road	To close when full interchange is built at Spring Hill Road
	Hampton Downs	494.0		Hampton Downs Road Hampton Downs, Spring Hill Corrections Facility
Currently terminates south of the Hampton Downs Road interchange
Waikato District				Whangamarino Road South	To close upon Longswamp four-laning
				Paddy Road	To close upon Longswamp four-laning
				Hall Road	To close upon Longswamp four-laning
				Wayside Road Te Kauwhata, Rangiriri	Southbound exit only To close upon Longswamp four-laning
Currently terminates north of Plantation Road
Waikato District	Te Kauwhata			Te Kauwhata Road/Plantation Road Te Kauwhata	Southbound exit opens late 2016
	Rangiriri			Glen Murray Road Rangiriri	No northbound entrance
				Armatage Road	Northbound entrance and exit only
	Ohinewai	510.0		Tahuna Road Tahuna, Ohinewai
Currently terminates at Frost Road
Waikato District				Great South Road Huntly	Under construction, expected to open 2019
Currently terminates at Gordonton Road
Waikato District	Taupiri	527.0		SH 1B Gordonton Road Taupiri, Gordonton
Currently terminates onto Mangaharakeke Drive at Lake Road
Waikato District				Mangaharakeke Drive Te Rapa, Hamilton Central, Ngaruawahia	No southbound entrance 37°40′59″S 175°12′57″E / 37.68314°S 175.21570°E
				Lake Road	Southbound entrance only
				Resolution Drive Rototuna, Chartwell	Link to be built to Resolution Drive/Borman Road roundabout
				Greenhill Link Chartwell, Te Rapa, Hamilton Central	Link to be built to Wairere Drive/Gordonton Road/Crosby Road roundabout
				SH 26 Ruakura Link University, Hamilton Central, Morrinsville	Link to be built east to Ruakura Road and west to Ruakura Road/Silverdale Road roundabout SH 26 to be diverted via Ruakura Road to meet interchange.
				Cambridge Road Hillcrest, Hamilton Central
Currently terminates at Bollard Road
Waikato District	Tamahere	560.4		SH 21 Tamahere, Hamilton Airport	37°49′42″S 175°21′27″E / 37.82829°S 175.35760°E
Waipa District			Cambridge Road Cambridge (west)	Northbound entrance and southbound exit
	Cambridge			SH 1B Victoria Road Cambridge, Hautapu
				Tirau Road (north) Cambridge	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
				SH 1 Tirau Road (south) Rotorua, Taupo	Waikato Expressway ends 37°53′48″S 175°30′29″E / 37.8967°S 175.50796°E

Mangaharakeke Drive (Te Rapa spur)

Territorial authority	Location	Exit	Destination	Notes
Waikato District	Horsham Downs		SH 1 Waikato Expressway north Huntly, Auckland	Mangaharakeke Drive begins No east to south connection
			Lake Road	Northbound exit only to Waikato Expressway southbound (future)
Waikato District–Hamilton City boundary	Horotiu		Great South Road/Te Rapa Road Te Rapa, Ngaruawahia
	Burbush		SH 39 Koura Drive Raglan, Otorohanga
Hamilton City	Avalon		Wairere Drive/Te Wetini Drive	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
			Avalon Drive	Mangaharakeke Drive ends

See also

• List of motorways and expressways in New Zealand

References

1. "Waikato Expressway". New Zealand Transport Agency. 2009. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
2. "Auckland Motorways 2008" (PDF). New Zealand Transport Agency. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
3. "Rangiriri to South of Ohinewai". Waikato Expressway. Transit New Zealand. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
4. "Traffic switches to new lanes at Mercer". Transit New Zealand Press release. 22 April 2004. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
5. "Longswamp to Te Kauwhata Four-Laning". Waikato Expressway. Transit New Zealand. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
6. "Roads of national significance". NZ Transport Agency. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
7. "New length of Waikato Expressway now open to traffic". www.nzta.govt.nz. New Zealand Transport Agency. 3 December 2012. Retrieved 11 December 2012.
8. "Waikato Expressway contract awarded". NZ Transport Agency. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
9. "Construction funding approved for two sections of the Waikato Expressway". NZTA. 18 December 2012. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
10. "Associate Minister marks start of Waikato Expressway - Rangiriri". Waikato Expressway. New Zealand Transport Agency: Waikato Regional Office. Retrieved 13 December 2013.
11. Henson, Narelle (31 August 2013). "$250m project brings bypass, bridges and 300 jobs". Waikato Times. Retrieved 13 December 2013.
12. "Rangiriri section of Waikato Expressway set to open". Waikato Times. Stuff.co.nz. 7 June 2016. Retrieved 8 June 2016.
13. "PM and Transport Minister turn sod on Hamilton section of Waikato Expressway". Waikato Times. 11 March 2016.
14. "Contract awarded for final part of Waikato Expressway". Waikato Times. Stuff.co.nz. 12 July 2016. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
15. "Opening of SH1 Mercer to Longswamp". The Beehive. Retrieved 2015-11-21.
16. "Longswamp | NZ Transport Agency". www.nzta.govt.nz. Retrieved 2015-11-21.
17. "Rangiriri | NZ Transport Agency". www.nzta.govt.nz. Retrieved 2015-11-21.
18. "SH16 Hobsonville Deviation and SH16 Brigham Creek Extension" (PDF). p. 4 Table 1.
19. "Huntly | NZ Transport Agency". www.nzta.govt.nz. Retrieved 2015-11-21.
20. "Ngāruawāhia | NZ Transport Agency". www.nzta.govt.nz. Retrieved 2015-11-21.
21. "Te Rapa | NZ Transport Agency". www.nzta.govt.nz. Retrieved 2015-11-21.
22. "Hamilton | NZ Transport Agency". www.nzta.govt.nz. Retrieved 2015-11-21.
23. "Cambridge | NZ Transport Agency". www.nzta.govt.nz. Retrieved 2015-11-21.
24. New Zealand Transport Agency - Roads of National Significance - Economic Assessments 2009 p. 33
25. Roads of National Significance, Economic Assessments Review 2010
26. Hamilton Urban Blog 3 June 2015
27. Sunday Star Times 21 November 2010
28. "2014/15 Annual Review of the Ministry of Transport and the New Zealand Transport Agency". Report of the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee. 11 February 2016.

External links

• Official website