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Traffic management around roadworks on State Highway 1 at Taupiri and Rangiriri caused motorists “significant disruption” over the weekend. Some drivers spent hours on the road without reaching their destinations.
Hamilton resident Sarah Colman said she left home about 10.30am on Saturday, aiming to get to Auckland for a 12.30pmappointment.
“Before I got to the Huntly exit [the traffic] was already crawling,” Colman told the Waikato Herald.
“I started doubting whether I would make it.”
Colman said the section of highway after the Huntly turnoff traffic was “equally slow.
“Roadworks to reseal parts of the expressway have taken place this week but traffic management remained in place longer than required on a busy weekend, causing long delays for motorists,” Brown’s post said.
“This isn’t acceptable. Roadworks will always cause disruption, but unnecessary disruption only causes frustration for motorists. I have made my expectations clear to NZTA that they must ensure traffic disruption is minimised wherever possible.”
NZTA regional manager for infrastructure delivery Jo Wilton said the organisation apologised for the “the excessive delays.
“We appreciate the frustration and inconvenience this caused road users and we’re reviewing what contributed to the delays and what can be improved to ensure this doesn’t happen again.”
Wilton said NZTA was in the “final throes of a big work push” committed to getting the chip sealing on that stretch done by Easter.
“We’re looking at what changes we can make for the remaining fortnight of work to ensure we can keep traffic moving through at a more reasonable pace.”
Wilton said NZTA appreciated road users have had to persevere with remedial works in the area for “some time.
“If the weather plays ball, Easter holiday traffic will be travelling through here at 110km/h ensuring more of everyone’s valuable time is spent enjoying the break rather than in traffic queues.”
A 4.8km section of the Waikato Expressway at Rangiriri has been operating with a 70km/h speed limit since before Christmas. Contractors started laying the final surface on the section last week, with work expected to take 20 days (10 continuous days’ work in each direction) and was scheduled to be completed before the Easter holidays.
Safety works through the Taupiri to Horotiu area have reduced the expressway to one lane in each direction with speed limits of 50km/h and 70km/h. According to the NZTA’s website, pavement repair works on the section are expected to continue until March 31, 2025.
Maryana Garcia is a Hamilton-based multimedia reporter covering live news in Waikato. She previously wrote for the Rotorua Daily Post and Bay of Plenty Times.
