The 22km Hamilton section of the Waikato Expressway has been officially opened by Waka Kotahi.
“The Hamilton section will reduce traffic congestion, improve safety, reduce travel times and boost economic growth in the Waikato and beyond,”said Waka Kotahi regional manager, Jo Wilton.
Running from Ngaaruawaahia in the north to the existing Tamahere interchange south of Hamilton, this significant road connects Auckland to the agriculture and business centres of the Waikato and will improve productivity in the region.
The Hamilton section is the final section of the four-laning of SH1 between Bombay and south of Cambridge.
Work on the earlier sections of the expressway began in the 1990s in Tamahere and Pokeno and continued with Ōhinewai and Mercer in the 2000s. In 2009 the remaining seven sections were funded for construction with Te Rapa (opened 2012), Ngaaruawaahia (2013), Cambridge (2015), Rangiriri (2017), Longswamp (2020), Huntly (2020) and now Hamilton (2022).
The full 102km Expressway will reduce travel times between Auckland and Tirau by 35 minutes for approximately 20,000 vehicles a day.
The road has had its speed limit increased to 110kph.
“The Expressway is built to the highest safety specifications The entire route is lined with central and side safety barriers, meaning safer journeys for generations to come,” said Wilton.
