Safety at one of New Zealand’s most dangerous intersections – State Highway 1 and State Highway 29 at Piarere – will be improved with construction of a new roundabout to replace the existing T-intersection.
In January 2020 the NZ Upgrade Programme announced funding to upgrade the intersection of SH1 and SH29 at Piarere. This will improve safety on a high-volume traffic route, which connects Waikato and the Bay of Plenty. The new roundabout will be designed to allow connection with a potential future expressway extension from Cambridge.
SH1 Cambridge to Piarere project
Construction of a two lane roundabout to replace existing T-intersection.
Auckland, Waikato and the Bay of Plenty are part of the Upper North Island’s Golden Triangle, home to more than half of New Zealand’s population. The transport corridors in these regions are critical to support the safe travel of a growing number of visitors and residents, and to get goods to market.
State Highway 1 (SH1) between Cambridge and Piarere is part of the key journeys which link Auckland and Hamilton with Tauranga, specifically the Port of Tauranga via State Highway 29 (SH29), as well as central and lower North Island via SH1.
The new intersection roundabout layout will:
The intersection is among the most dangerous places on the New Zealand roading network. There have been 62 crashes in eight years at this intersection, resulting in two deaths.
