State Highway 1/SH29 intersection upgrade at Piarere: Transport Minister Simeon Brown opens construction

The Piarere site is a confluence of three destinations: South Waikato, Bay of Plenty and North Waikato. Photo / NZME

Construction of a roundabout at a vital but high-risk intersection on State Highway 1 has started.

An average of 20,000 vehicles travel through the SH1/SH29 intersection daily and it is a vital link between Auckland, Waikato and the Bay of Plenty, but has long been known as a notorious area for serious and fatal crashes.

Transport Minister Simeon Brown was at the Piarere site this morning and said once completed, the 60-metre-wide roundabout would greatly improve safety and wait times for people travelling through Waikato.

“SH1 and SH29 are strategically important to the upper North Island and this T-intersection has long been a pinch point in the network.

“We have heard from the local community that safety on this intersection is a large concern,” Brown said.

The safety improvements in the area have been on the cards for at least seven years with the Cambridge to Piarere extension put on hold in 2017 when Labour took office.

“This strategic improvement will increase safety and reduce the risk of serious crashes. With two lanes, it will also improve the traffic flow and increase efficiencies,” Brown said.

The roundabout has been designed to connect into a new Road of National Significance between Cambridge and Piarere, improving the efficiency, safety and resilience of this corridor.