Source: New Zealand Transport Agency
The remedial and safety improvements on the Ngāruawāhia section of State Highway 1 Waikato Expressway will require two weeks of night-time closures and detours soon.
Shifting steel safety barriers and carrying out surfacing works require two blocks of night closures with traffic using the established detours around the site.
Southbound closures: 30 June-4 July, Sunday to Thursday, 7pm-5am.
Northbound closures: 7-11 July, Sunday to Thursday, 7pm-5am.
The detour routes are different for each direction due to works in Ngāruawāhia town preventing southbound highway traffic using this route as a detour.
The southbound detour is SH1B, rejoining SH1 via Lake Road, however heavy vehicles (50 tonnes and above) must continue on SH1B, including the local road detour around Telephone Road, and connect to SH1 again at Cambridge or via SH26 into Hamilton.
The northbound detour takes SH1 traffic via Ngāruawāhia on the old highway between the Horotiu and Gordonton Road interchanges. HPMVs must use SH1B, and overweight vehicles need to use SH2/27, under an existing overweight permit.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi contractors are working to bring the Ngāruawāhia section of the expressway up to the same standard as its neighbouring 110km/h sections.
On-going work includes:
- Reshaping and hardening the median area – to limit moisture entering the pavement and prevent further failures.
- Drainage improvements.
- Resurfacing, depending on the existing pavement condition.
A final, continuous asphalt surface will complete the repair works, replacing the temporary chipseal and asphalt surfaces which have been in place during earlier repairs and while moisture monitoring was conducted.
The safety improvements needed to get to 110km/h standard include making side barriers continuous, upgrading some barriers, additional maintenance and turnaround bays for emergency services, shoulder widening and relocating some lighting.
