Waikato Expressway
Road in New Zealand / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Waikato Expressway is a dual carriageway section of State Highway 1 (SH 1) in New Zealand's Waikato region. Constructed in stages, it forms part of the link between Auckland and Hamilton. Currently stretching from Auckland to south of Cambridge,[1] the first section of the highway was built in 1993.[2] Throughout its lifetime, it has undergone many upgrades to optimise traffic flow throughout the Waikato region,[1] including various bypasses of many towns in the region, culminating with Hamilton in 2022.[3]
Waikato Expressway | |
---|---|
Route information | |
Maintained by NZ Transport Agency | |
Length | 101.4 km (63.0 mi) |
Existed | 8 May 1993–present |
Component highways | State Highway 1 |
Tourist routes | Thermal Explorer Highway |
Major junctions | |
North end | Bombay Hills Auckland Southern Motorway |
Major intersections | |
South end | Just south of Cambridge |
Location | |
Country | New Zealand |
Primary destinations | Pōkeno, Mercer, Meremere, Te Kauwhata, Rangiriri |
Highway system | |
The final part of the Expressway was completed on 12 July 2022. The expressway forms a 101.4 km (63.0 mi)-long continuous four-lane dual carriageway from the Bombay Hills to beyond the town of Cambridge, 24 km (15 mi) south-east of Hamilton. Hamilton, as well as several other towns along the current route of SH 1 (such as Huntly, Ngāruawāhia, and Cambridge), have been completely bypassed by the expressway, allowing through traffic to move much more efficiently.[4]