The highly anticipated Waikato Expressway finally has an open date! Well... kind of.
Posted on the Waikato Expressway Facebook page today, it was announced that there will be a ribbon-cutting event on July 12, and says that the road will open to the public within a day or two of this.
Previously, Waikato Expressway said it would not announce an exact open date in order to prevent people from waiting and wanting to be the first to drive the new road. And while we still don't know an exact date, at least we have an idea.
Today's Facebook post says: "We were working hard to have a public open day but logistical and safety challenges, date uncertainty and costs mean this won’t happen."
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Alongside this comment, Waikato Expressway posted an infographic (pictured above) to showcase how the Hamilton section connections in and out of the city, via the five interchanges, will affect travel routes.
The initial completion date was extended last year due to Covid-19 restrictions and nationwide material shortages. It's claimed that once completed, the new road will reduce travel times between Auckland and Tirau by up to 35 minutes.
The Waikato Expressway is the key strategic corridor for the Waikato region; when complete, it will run 102km from the Bombay Hills to the south of Cambridge.
It's also hoped that the Expressway will reduce crashes, increase traffic capacity, take congestion away from communities like Huntly, Ngaruawahia and Cambridge, reduce fuel costs for motorists and contribute to economic growth.
