As one of the most highly-anticipated pieces of road in New Zealand, the $607 million Hamilton bypass section of the Waikato Expressway can't open soon enough.
Unfortunately, there's bad news for those who are patiently waiting for an opening date as Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency recently confirmed that the completion date has been pushed back to mid-2022.
READ MORE: How much time will the new Hamilton bypass save?
According to a recent release, "challenging ground conditions" have been the main reasons behind the delays, Waka Kotahi’s Infrastructure Delivery Regional Manager Jo Wilton said today.
“We also recently discovered peat on Resolution Drive Extension which will need to be dug out and replaced with an engineered fill to minimise settlement of the road,” Ms Wilton said.
“This means it will take longer to finish the Hamilton section than originally planned and it’s now expected to open in mid-2022. Waka Kotahi is working closely with the project contractors to ensure this key transport corridor is completed as quickly as possible, while ensuring the work meets our quality and safety standards and expectations.’’
Wilton also noted that the updated timeframe will also increase the likelihood that a key connection – Hamilton City Council’s link to the Ruakura Interchange – will be completed at the time of the Hamilton section opening.
“Our preference is to open the Hamilton section as a complete package, including all connections, and we will continue to work closely with our partners to align timings as much as possible.”
As well as moving the completion date, the release also touched on the proposed speed limit of the Hamilton section, stating that it has built to a standard that allows a speed limit of 110km/h.
Waka Kotahi intends to consult with the public and stakeholders this year to get their thoughts on a 110km/h speed limit across a large part of the Waikato Expressway.