Underpass open allows safe passage for the residents of Tamahere

The underpass is now open in Tamahere. Photo / Supplied

Cyclists, walkers and residents of Tamahere now have a safer crossing of State Highway 1 and 21 Airport Rd south of Hamilton with the new underpass now open for use.

The underpass is part of Te Awa – The Great New Zealand River Ride which is under construction between Cambridge and Hamilton.

With the opening of the underpass, Te Awa is now complete from the Grassroots Trust Velodrome near Cambridge to Newell Rd, Tamahere, with the final section from Riverglade Drive to the Hamilton Gardens to be completed around the middle of 2022.

"Providing a safe crossing of State Highway 21 Airport Rd is going to benefit a wide range of Kiwis, from those who want to walk or ride the fantastic Te Awa trail from Cambridge to Hamilton to the residents of Tamahere who want to get safely to the school or the shops," says Waka Kotahi Waikato director of regional relationships David Speirs.

"This project has taken about a year to build and Waka Kotahi would like to thank the project neighbours and the wider community for their patience over this period," David says.

While the underpass has been opened, some finishing touches such as planting are still to be done.

The lights will not be active until later in April, so anyone using the underpass is advised to take care, particularly outside of daylight hours.

The underpass ramp walls include etchings that acknowledge the tupuna (ancestors) of Ngāti Hauā and Ngāti Koroki Kahukura, mana whenua for Tamahere.

When the final section of Te Awa into Hamilton is complete, the full shared path will stretch for 65 kilometres between Ngāruawāhia and Lake Karāpiro.