Louise Upston
Taupō MP Louise Upston says the choice of a roundabout as a cheaper option for the hazardous State Highway 1 – Piarere intersection was an example of Labour’s lack of forward planning and wasteful spend.
The News sought comment from her on the roundabout versus flyover debate for the intersection and calls for extra on and offramps at the Cambridge southern interchange on the Waikato Expressway.
“Whether a flyover or a roundabout is the best option for linking the Waikato Expressway extension to SH29 and the rest of SH1 is a question for roading experts,” she said.
Labour shelved the expressway way extension from Karāpiro to Piarere in 2017.
But she noted a roundabout was chosen as a cheaper option because it might become superfluous when the expressway extension was finalised.
She said the stretch of road was a vital social and economic link but was notoriously dangerous and unnecessarily slow.
“National already had a shortlist of options for extending the Expressway drawn up when Labour took office in 2017… under National, Waka Kotahi was projected to determine the preferred alignment in 2017, and road construction was to begin in 2020.
The road was projected to open in 2024.”
Under the plans shelved in 2017 the expressway would either link to SH29 near the Piarere Hall—about 3km north of the current intersection, or between the Piarere Hall and SH1.
“Here we are in 2023 and the only progress that has been made on extending the expressway is the government providing funding to construct a new roundabout as part of the New Zealand Upgrade Programme.
“It committed to begin construction at the beginning of 2022—a year ago. It is still no more than a blueprint until the Environment Court gives its approval for the Resource Management Act applications and the land acquisition process is completed. Waka Kotahi is negotiating to buy land for the project but can’t proceed with purchase until the court’s decision is passed. Not a sod has been turned.
“It is incredibly frustrating to see the long queues of traffic waiting at that intersection and knowing that, under National, construction would have been well underway by now.”
Cambridge resident John Hansen has argued a flyover is a more logical solution for the intersection than a roundabout and has put his case to the Environment Court and won support in Cambridge for it.
Upston said adding on and off-ramps to the interchange south of Cambridge was an instance where Government, Waipā District Council planners and Waka Kotahi should work together to plan the best outcome for traffic flow through the town.
