Source: New Zealand Transport Agency
Waka Kotahi advises motorists that essential safety work is scheduled to take place on the ramps of the State Highway 1 (SH1) Hampton Downs Interchange from late October until mid-December.
Both the northbound and southbound ramps will have side protection (barriers) added, to bring them up to the standard required for this 110 km/h section of the Waikato Expressway.
Ramp closures – Tuesday 25 October to Thursday 15 December
There will be a series of overnight ramp closures between 8pm and 5.30am from Tuesday 25 October until Thursday 15 December.
Full schedule of closures (PDF 141KB)(external link) (This schedule may change and drivers are encouraged to check the table at this link before beginning their journey).
The closures will take place Sunday to Thursday nights (no planned closures on Friday or Saturday nights) and will affect one direction of traffic at a time. The northbound ramps will close first, followed by the southbound ramps.
Due to the narrow width of the on and off ramps, a full closure is needed for the barrier work to ensure the safety of site staff and to enable construction vehicles to safely enter and leave the site.
The recommended detour when the southbound ramps and the northbound onramp are closed is to use the Te Kauwhata Interchange, travelling along Rodda Road and Whangamarino Road. For the northbound offramp closures the recommended detour is to head north past the interchange to Dragway Road, use the turnaround and then access the interchange using the southbound offramp.
People are asked to take extra care when travelling along the detour route by following any temporary speed limits, signs and instructions from the traffic management team.
Northbound lane closure with interchange ramps detour – Sunday 30 October
On Sunday 30 October the ramps will remain open while SH1 northbound is closed under the Hampton Downs bridge between 8pm and 5.30am. Only northbound traffic will be detoured up the offramp before re-joining SH1 using the northbound onramp. This closure is to remove a section of northbound temporary barrier by the bridge abutment.
Detour route for heavy vehicles:
- Overweight vehicles – can travel the detour if they hold a permit issued by Waikato District Council.
- 50MAX – there are no 50MAX bridge restrictions – refer to map of 50MAX routes directly below.
- HPMV – can travel the detour if they hold a Waka Kotahi issued HPMV permit.
Reminder – other planned closures for Tuesday 18 and Wednesday 19 October
A reminder also that on Tuesday 18 October southbound traffic on SH1 will be detoured and on Wednesday 19 October northbound traffic will be detoured for temporary barrier removal.
SH1 Waikato Expressway overnight closures at Hampton Downs
For up-to-date information on road works, traffic, detours and delays, drivers are encouraged to visit the Waka Kotahi Journey Planner website.
Journey Planner(external link)
Waka Kotahi thanks you for your patience while we complete this essential work to make our state highways safer and more resilient.
