Waipā District Council making good progress on local section of Te Awa Cycleway

A section of the new Te Awa cycleway section being constructed by Waipa District Council. Photo / Supplied

The Hamilton to Cambridge section of Te Awa River Ride is making great strides in the Waipā district, with the cycleway construction well under way.

Waipā District Council's contractor Civil Construction Services, a local Cambridge firm, has built around 10 per cent of the new cycleway by St Peter's School.

The council's service delivery group manager, Dawn Inglis, said the cycleway section covers a range of different terrain so required a range of construction methods.

The Waipa section of Te Awa Cycleway is well under way. Photo / Supplied

"The cycleway passes through a range of steep slopes and other difficult-to-access spots, each with their own unique requirements, so we're using a mixture of concrete path, boardwalks and bridges where appropriate. The team are working in some tough areas to access so are doing well to have made so much progress already."

Inglis said having low ongoing maintenance costs for the section was a key factor in investing in quality materials and construction from the outset.

"We're investing in good quality ground preparations and materials, with a particular focus on getting foundations right to help reduce the ongoing costs which are met by the ratepayers over the lifetime of the asset."

Once completed, the Waipā section of Te Awa River Ride will take riders through bush and across farmlands with views over the Waikato River.

The Hamilton to Cambridge section is the final section of Te Awa River Ride, which will provide a 60km designated cycle path from Ngaruawahia to Lake Karapiro.

The final section of Te Awa was one of the successful shovel-ready projects which received funding of $8.2 million from the Infrastructure Industry Reference Group, supported by Crown Infrastructure Partners.

The Hamilton to Cambridge section will be built by Waipā District, Waikato District and Hamilton City councils and Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency, as it crosses each territorial boundary.