Construction to begin at SH1/Hydro Road intersection on Tuesday

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency will begin construction of a turnaround bay at the intersection of State Highway 1/Hydro Road, east of Cambridge, next week as part of the SH1 Cambridge to Piarere Safety Improvements.

Motorists are advised that from 20 June 2023 there will be no right turn in and out of Hydro Road while the turnaround is built. Alternative routes from Cambridge will be sign-posted and people are asked to allow extra time for their journeys.

Construction is expected to take 8 weeks. The impact on SH1 traffic is expected to be minimal, although temporary speed limits will be in place near the work site.

The recommended alternate routes are:

• All vehicles able to use Ariki Street (across the Karāpiro Dam) are encouraged to use this route, to keep traffic away from the construction site at the intersection. While the left turn out of Hydro Road onto SH1 will still be open, there may be delays at times for vehicles exiting Hydro Road due to Stop/Go traffic management.
• Cambridge to Karāpiro Village – light vehicles coming from Cambridge to Karāpiro Village take Maungatautari Road and Ariki Street.
• Karāpiro Village to Piarere – the preferred route for light vehicles heading south is to use Maungatautari Road to Cambridge, avoiding the SH1 / Hydro Road intersection. All vehicles will be able to turn left out of Hydro Road onto SH1, being mindful that this is a construction site and there will be Stop/Go traffic management in place at the intersection.
  There will be several nights of night works under Stop/Go traffic management while the site is established, and again in late July.

The Hydro Road turnaround is the first of five turnarounds that will be constructed on SH1 between Cambridge and Piarere over the coming year, along with additional median barriers.

SH1 Cambridge and Piarere project

Waka Kotahi thanks people for their patience while construction is underway.