Waikato Expressway Cambridge-Piarere extension welcome news - Editorial

An aerial perspective rendering of the southern end of the Waikato Expressway, where the Cambridge to Piarere extension will begin. Newcombe Rd is on the left and Lockley Rd is on the right.

THE FACTS

• NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi will begin building the 16km Cambridge to Piarere expressway extension in late 2026.
• The 60m Piarere roundabout is complete, improving safety at the South Waikato T-intersection.
• More than 20,000 vehicles use the current road daily, with 29 serious crashes between 2018 and 2023.

Thousands of motorists will welcome news that an important but unappealing road in Waikato will be replaced with a 16km four-lane expressway extension.

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) is expected to start building the Cambridge to Piarere extension of the Waikato Expressway in late 2026.

It follows news this month that the 60m SH1/SH29 Piarere roundabout is essentially finished after calls from the community to make the T-intersection in South Waikato safer.

The new expressway extension will join the roundabout and meet with the current Waikato Expressway as it ends near Cambridge.

It is proposed that it will be further inland than the current road, which winds closer to the Waikato River.

Anyone who drives the current road will know just how important this project is.

The road is mostly two lanes with some passing lanes, and it is not an enjoyable experience.

It can come as a shock for motorists heading south, exiting the high-quality Waikato Expressway.

This project is long overdue.

More than 20,000 vehicles travel the current section every day, with 29 serious crashes recorded between 2018-2023, resulting in nine deaths and 33 people seriously injured.

It is not the only signature state highway project.

In Bay of Plenty, progress is being made on the important Takitimu North Link, a new four-lane expressway being built from Tauranga to Ōmokoroa that will provide an alternative route to the existing and also unappealing stretch of State Highway 2.

Further south, the highway from Ōtaki to north of Levin has had its budget increased to $2.1 billion.

This road is a link in the Kāpiti Expressway, which connects the capital with the lower North Island. It links the $1.25b Transmission Gully motorway with a string of four-lane, grade-separated projects along the Kāpiti coast.

An Infometrics report found Transmission Gully has cut an average of nine minutes off trip times, has healthier injury statistics, and delivered $79m in savings in 2024, despite remaining technically unfinished.

NZTA says its Roads of National Significance comprises major projects that, once finished, will support economic growth and productivity, reduce congestion, improve safety, support housing development and provide a more resilient roading network.

These projects include the SH1 Whangārei to Port Marsden highway, the Hawke’s Bay expressway, and in Canterbury, the SH1 Belfast to Pegasus motorway and Woodend bypass.

Not everyone likes the idea of building new roads. There is an argument that New Zealand should be investing in intercity rail and improving existing roads.

However, safe, efficient, high-quality roads are vital for all users and help future-proof the country, given the population has a 90% probability of reaching up to 7.21 million by 2051.

The good news is tens of thousands of motorists have new ones to look forward to.