Trips from Tamahere into Hamilton will be more direct and safer when a small part of the Hamilton section of the Waikato Expressway opens to traffic shortly, according to Waka Kotahi.

The on-ramp connecting the Southern Interchange’s Alfred Main Drive to the city-bound lane of Cambridge Road/SH1 will open on Friday, 3 June. The on-ramp will be the last in a series of new roads at the interchange to open.

“This is the final step in making access in and out of Tamahere safer – one of the main features of the Hamilton section where it passes through Tamahere,” said Waka Kotahi regional manager Jo Wilton.

“Gone are the intersections to the old state highway, along with driveways and letterboxes. Now people can access their properties on the expanded local road network which is so much safer.”

Wilton said that while the full 22km four-lane expressway will open to traffic in July, there is no need to wait until then to open this on ramp.

An exact date for when the expressway will open to traffic has not been confirmed.

Wilton said having the ramp open on 3 June will give people time to get used to it ahead of the planned closure of the nearby Newell Road intersection with SH1-Cambridge Road.

Waikato District Council has decided Newell Road will close the same day the expressway opens in July.

The decision was made at the conclusion of public consultation in 2018. The date for closure was linked to safer options being available when the expressway opened to traffic.

The closure will be accompanied by ‘No Exit’ signage and the intersection will fully disappear when Cambridge Road is upgraded – currently scheduled for 2024.

Tamahere traffic that used Newell Road previously will come and go via the Southern Interchange, using Bollard Road and Alfred Main Drive or Birchwood Lane and Alfred Main Drive.