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Major roading upgrades in the south of Auckland and northern Waikato are a step closer, with the Government committing funding to advance key transport corridors under its Roads of National Significance (RoNS) programme.
Transport Minister Chris Bishop announced nearly $1.2 billion in combined funding for the next phase of RoNS development, including $100 million for Hamilton Southern Links and continued work on the Mill Road and Cambridge to Piarere projects.
The Southern Links project will connect State Highway 1 at Tamahere with SH3 near the Hamilton Airport and SH39 west of Hamilton, creating a new network of roads and shared paths linking key freight, residential and industrial areas.
“The Waikato region plays a critical role in our economy, with its location making it a vital freight and distribution hub in the supply chain,” Bishop said.
“The investment case for Hamilton Southern Links is strong, with expected travel time reductions of 14 minutes between Tamahere and western Hamilton.
By 2055, it will also support access to 17,300 new homes and 7,100 new jobs.”
The programme will also progress planning for Mill Road, which will eventually extend from Drury to Papakura and Pukekohe, easing congestion across Auckland’s southern growth corridor.
The funding will allow the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to move forward with design, route protection, property acquisition and early site investigations.
Bishop said the goal is to maintain “a credible pipeline of high-value infrastructure projects” ready for construction as funding becomes available.
