Waikato Expressway road works: Te Rapa ramp closures needed for resurfacing works

The road surface is about to be replaced on the 6km stretch of Waikato Expressway between Wairere Drive and the Horotiu Interchange.

Works to resurface the Te Rapa section of SH1C Waikato Expressway are to move into the next stage, so motorists are asked to prepare for ramp closures until the end of June.

From Monday, May 13, the northbound on and off-ramps at Koura Drive will be closed for up to two weeks to allow for resurfacing on the ramps and the northbound lanes.

Traffic will be reduced to one lane in each direction and shifted on to the southbound lanes, with speed restrictions in place.

When the ramps are closed, northbound traffic wanting to exit at Koura Drive will stay on the expressway and use the Horotiu Interchange to rejoin the expressway and access Koura Drive using the southbound offramp. This will add around five minutes to a trip.

Traffic wanting to access the expressway from Koura Drive will be advised to use the southbound on-ramp and turn around using the SH1C roundabout at Crawford St/Avalon Drive. This will add around 10 minutes to the journey.

From next week until the project’s anticipated completion at the end of June, New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) contractors will be working in the dual-lane section, with traffic remaining at a single lane in each direction.

Following the closure of the Koura Drive, northbound ramp work on SH1C will move further north, with a two-week closure of the Horotiu Interchange northbound off-ramp.

Work will then switch to the southbound lanes, with the Horotiu Interchange southbound on-ramp closed for two weeks.

The final stage of the project will see the closure of the Koura Drive southbound on and off-ramps for two weeks.

Night closures on the Te Rapa section are expected to finish this week, with an additional night scheduled on Friday, May 10.

The project is on track to be completed by the end of June.

The 6km Te Rapa section, from the Te Wetini Dr/Wairere Dr overbridge near Wintec through to the Horotiu Interchange, will have the existing road surface overlaid with a new layer of structural asphalt.

Anyone planning to drive on the Te Rapa section over the next few months is advised to check journeys.nzta.govt.nz for the latest traffic and travel information.