Huntly section of Waikato Expressway right on track

Sunday, 26 May 2019

The Huntly section meets the completed Ngāruawāhia section at the Gordonton Road interchange, where on and off-ramps are being added and a service centre

Construction on the Huntly section of the Waikato Expressway is moving along.

The $409 million section is scheduled to open early next year and, after a good summer of construction, New Zealand Transport Agency confirmed that they are on track

The 15km Huntly section takes SH1 up and over the Taupiri Range east of Huntly town

Most of the earthworks have been completed and the focus is now on road-building.

The Huntly section has one more local traffic bridge to open at Orini Road and the team is working hard to continue with the road surface construction.

The view from above Lake Kimihia on the eastern side of the expressway route near Huntly. The smaller lake is restored wetland

The current layout sees all traffic on what will be the on-ramp from Huntly.

* First look at Huntly section of Waikato Expressway

* Tallest overbridge opens on Waikato Expressway

* Work progressing on Hamilton section of Waikato Expressway

* Consultation key to Huntly expressway project**

Motorists won't have seen a lot of the work happening at Huntly, as the section passes through the Taupiri Range. Only work on the northern and southern ends of the project are visible.

NZTA said the route from Kimihia to the Taupiri Range summit has been a huge challenge – due to deep ravines and steep drops.

On the eastern side of the expressway near Lake Kimihia, a wetland is being restored in a joint project between NZTA and Fish and Game - it should improve the habitat for fish and birdlife.

The work requires digging out 30,000 cubic metres of clay to form the open water area and the planting of 50,000 wetland plants.

The four-hectare wetland will be a haven for wildlife and native plants and has been developed out of an existing degraded swamp that had been grazed by stock for many years. Auckland-Waikato Fish & Game has been assisting the transformation and will also be caretakers of the completed wetland.

The Huntly section is being built in by a joint venture of Fulton Hogan, HEB, Jacobs and Opus International Consultants.

The Longswamp section is the next to be finished and should be done later this year, while Hamilton has been delayed until 2021

Longswamp recently had a traffic switch to move vehicles over to the northbound lanes south of the Whangamarino Bridge, allowing for construction to begin on the last section of southbound lanes.