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Extending the Waikato Expressway will make travel safer, faster, more reliable and benefit communities all along its route, Transport Minister Chris Bishop expects.
Budget 2026 sees $1.773 billion in funding for the Cambridge to Piarere Road of National Significance, extending the expressway.
“State Highway 1 between Cambridge and Piarere is a critical freight and economic link connecting Auckland, Waikato and the Bay of Plenty with the central and lower North Island,” Bishop says.
“It has already delivered huge benefits for the [north Waikato] region, improving safety, reducing congestion, increasing reliability, and supporting economic growth across the upper North Island.”
The extension will benefit all three points of the ‘Golden Triangle’, Bishop says.
“The Golden Triangle between Auckland, Waikato and Tauranga is home to more than half of New Zealand’s population and around 60 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product. This corridor is critical to New Zealand’s economic growth.
In addition to economic benefits, the project will also save lives.
“It is expected to reduce deaths and serious injuries by around 70 per cent, improve resilience by reducing the impact of road closures, and improve local access to community facilities and destinations.”
Early work is already underway, Bishop adds.
“The government is getting on with building the roads in our long-term infrastructure pipeline to redress New Zealand’s infrastructure deficit and support jobs, productivity and growth across the country.”
