Project introduction

As part of the Road to Zero speed and infrastructure programme, Waka Kotahi is making the stretch of State Highway 1 between Cambridge and Piarere safer.

  • Project type

    Road improvements
  • Project status

    Construction

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About the project

SH1 between Cambridge to Piarere is part of one of the country’s most important transport corridors. The Auckland-Hamilton-Tauranga corridor accounts for a significant proportion of all road freight in New Zealand.

A programme of safety improvements is underway to reduce the number of serious crashes along this section of state highway, including flexible median barriers, six turnaround bays and a new roundabout. The project is being delivered in three stages as follows.

  • Stage 1 – Stage 1 was completed in December 2020, with 2.5km of flexible median safety barrier installed from south of Fergusson Gully Road.
  • Stage 2 – This includes the installation of 5.2km of flexible median barrier from an unnamed reserve to 1km north of Maungatautari Road towards Piarere. Most of this has been completed, with the remaining 2.5km of flexible median barrier from Keeley's Reserve through to just past Kentucky Road to be installed in 2023/24.
  • Stage 3 – This includes 7.9km of flexible median barrier from the end of the Waikato Expressway through to Fergusson Gully Road. This stage also includes constructing a number of turnaround bays at intersecting roads, and a roundabout at the intersection of SH1 and Karāpiro Road.

The bigger picture

We’ve looked at the types and causes of crashes on SH1 and identified improvements that puts the safety of people first.

The proposed improvements mean people will have to change the way they use the road in the future, but they will save lives and reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on this road.

The turnarounds and median barriers, along with roundabouts at the SH1/Karāpiro and SH1/SH29 intersections, will make this stretch of SH1 much safer, reducing the risk of head-on crashes.  

The map below shows the final product of the Cambridge to Piarere safety improvements project.

View downloadable map [PDF, 165 KB]

The map below shows progress to date, as of December 2023.

View downloadable map [PDF, 170 KB]

Work in progress

Find the latest information on this work on SH1, including traffic management and detour details.

Work in progress page