Commendable engineering: Wood is chuffed about 22km stretch of expressway “falling into place” but he keeps quiet about the cost

Buzz from the Beehive

Transport Minister Michael Wood left the dollar signs out of his press satement when declaring   that the Hamilton Section of the Waikato Expressway has opened, marking the final chapter of a 30 year roading project.

It was terrific to see the last 22-kilometre piece of the Expressway “falling into place”, he enthused.  This reflects somewhat curiously on the work of the engineers and construction gangs.

The road connects Auckland to the agriculture and business centres of the Waikato and would improve economic growth and productivity in the region.

The full 102km Waikato Expressway will also reduce travel times between Auckland and Tirau by 35 minutes for approximately 20,000 vehicles a day.

The Hamilton section is the biggest roading project in Waikato’s history and runs from Ngāruawāhia in the north to the existing Tamahere interchange south of Hamilton.

Work on the earlier sections of the Waikato Expressway began in the 1990s and the road (Wood says) will be one of the safest in the country.

Wood said The Waikato Expressway was funded though the National Land Transport Fund, with funding for each section applied for as they progressed through their stages, from pre-implementation through to construction.

But – would you believe – he did not mention the cost.

Yes, the speed limit (on one stretch of our roads) has been lifted but Wood must do much more to rate with Bob Semple

Buzz from the Beehive

Transport  Minister Michael  Wood   has been  busy  beating   his drum  over  the  move  to lift  the  speed  limit on the Waikato Expressway to  110km/h, between Hampton Downs and Tamahere.

He  points  out that the Waikato Expressway is a key transport route for the Waikato region, connecting Auckland to the agricultural and business centres of the central North Island.  The features making it safer for travelling at higher speeds include having at least two lanes in each direction, a central median barrier, and no significant curves.

His press statement was among those to flow from the Beehive since Point of Order’s previous Buzz, including news of further support for Ukraine:

• $4.5 million to provide Ukraine with additional non-lethal equipment and supplies such as medical kit for the Ukrainian Army
• Deployments extended for New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) intelligence, logistics and liaison officers in the UK, Germany, and Belgium
• Secondment of a senior New Zealand military officer to support International Criminal Court (ICC) investigations, and additional funding to the ICC, including the Trust Fund for Victims.