The proposed project scope for Hamilton Southern Links is to connect SH1 from Hamilton\u2019s Kahikatea Drive to Tamahere and the Waikato Expressway in the south, as well as to link SH3 from Hamilton Airport to central and east Hamilton.<\/p>\n
Hamilton Southern Links is also set to unlock access to land for business and residential development in the southwest Hamilton, Peacocke and Hamilton Airport areas.<\/p>\n
It was recommended to build the project in four stages, starting with Greenwood St to the SL1 roundabout, followed by SH1 to SH21, then Stage 3 being SL1 roundabout to SH3 and Stage 4 with SH3 to SH21, including central interchange and north-south connection.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Waikato region plays a critical role in our economy, with its location making it a vital freight and distribution hub in the supply chain,\u201d Transport Minister Chris Bishop said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBy 2048, an extra 224,000 people are expected to be living in the Waikato and it\u2019s crucial we have transport networks that can keep Hamilton and the Waikato moving.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe investment case for Hamilton Southern Links is strong, with expected travel times reductions of 14 mins between Tamahere and western Hamilton.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hamilton Southern Links is also meant to complement the recently consented 16km, four-lane expressway between Cambridge and Piarere.<\/p>\n
The planned scope of the Hamilton Southern Links project. Graphic \/ New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi<\/p>\n
The origins of the current Southern Links project date back about 20 years and the route protection applications were lodged in 2013.<\/p>\n
The intended route (known as the designation) was confirmed in 2016.<\/p>\n
This week\u2019s funding news was welcomed by several local leaders, with Hamilton West MP Tama Potaka and Hamilton East MP Ryan Hamilton saying it would help advance this project toward construction.<\/p>\n
Hamilton Mayor Tim Macindoe said he was \u201cdelighted and very grateful\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is wonderful news and something for which I have also advocated for many years. It\u2019s an excellent development for our region.\u201d<\/p>\n
Waip\u0101 mayor Mike Pettit.<\/p>\n
Waip\u0101 Mayor Mike Pettit said the largest section of the Southern Links designation sat within the Waip\u0101 District, so the council was \u201ckeen to keep this project moving\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis funding announcement, alongside a fast-track consent application already lodged, is a very positive step in the right direction,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
A key area was the section between Tamahere and the Waikato Regional Airport.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Narrows Bridge in its current state is tenuous at best. We\u2019re already seeing major industrial development at the airport, and this project will support that growth while improving safety and connectivity,\u201d Pettit said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis announcement is a strong signal of confidence in the Waikato\u2019s future. It\u2019s about ensuring our communities and our economy can continue to thrive and prosper.\u201d<\/p>\n
The other projects that received funding as part of the Government\u2019s Roads of National Significance programme this week included Sections 2 and 3 of the Northland Expressway; the East West Link; Petone to Grenada and Cross Valley Link; SH1 Wellington Improvements, including a new Mt Victoria tunnel; and the Hope Bypass.<\/p>\n
Danielle Zollickhofer is the Waikato news director and a multimedia journalist at the Waikato Herald. She joined NZME in 2021 and is based in Hamilton.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The proposed project scope for Hamilton Southern Links is to connect SH1 from Hamilton\u2019s Kahikatea Drive to Tamahere…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":98966,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[45186,1558,11231,738,19724,2518,6288,6804,2442,2683,8599,111,43,139,1536,69,3263,171,5433,61,102],"class_list":{"0":"post-98965","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-zealand","8":"tag-100m","9":"tag-been","10":"tag-boost","11":"tag-funding","12":"tag-given","13":"tag-green","14":"tag-hamilton","15":"tag-light","16":"tag-links","17":"tag-move","18":"tag-moves","19":"tag-new-zealand","20":"tag-news","21":"tag-newzealand","22":"tag-next","23":"tag-nz","24":"tag-project","25":"tag-southern","26":"tag-stage","27":"tag-to","28":"tag-with"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98965","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=98965"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98965\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/98966"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=98965"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=98965"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=98965"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}