The Waikato Expressway is a dual carriageway

Dual carriageway

A dual carriageway is a class of highway with two carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation...

 section of State Highway 1 in the Waikato

Waikato

The Waikato Region is a local government region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato, Hauraki, Coromandel Peninsula, the northern King Country, much of the Taupo District, and parts of Rotorua District...

 region of the North Island

North Island

The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...

 of New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

 and forms part of the link between Auckland

Auckland

The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...

 and Hamilton

Hamilton, New Zealand

Hamilton is the centre of New Zealand's fourth largest urban area, and Hamilton City is the country's fourth largest territorial authority. Hamilton is in the Waikato Region of the North Island, approximately south of Auckland...

. Currently, the expressway is made up of two sections: the first beginning at the end of the Auckland Southern Motorway

Auckland Southern Motorway

The Auckland Southern Motorway is the major route south out of the Auckland Region of New Zealand. It is part of State Highway 1....

 at the Bombay Hills and ending at Longswamp, and the second beginning at Rangiriri and ending at Ohinewai. These two sections are linked by a three lane section of State Highway 1 that will eventually be upgraded to four lanes and thus become a part of the expressway. Further extensions to the expressway are planned, and when completed, the expressway will form a 101.4 km long continuous four lane dual carriageway from the Bombay Hills to beyond the town of Cambridge

Cambridge, New Zealand

Cambridge is a town in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand. Situated 24 kilometres southeast of Hamilton, on the banks of the Waikato River, Cambridge is known as "The Town of Trees & Champions".In the 1840s Cambridge had a Maori population but in the 1850's missionaries and...

, 24 kilometres south-east of Hamilton. When completed, Hamilton, as well as several other towns along the current route of State Highway 1 (such as Huntly

Huntly, New Zealand

Huntly is a town in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is on State Highway 1, 93 kilometres south of Auckland and 35 kilometres north of Hamilton. It is situated on the North Island Main Trunk Railway and straddles the Waikato River.Huntly was called Rahui Pokeka when...

, Ngaruawahia

Ngaruawahia

Ngāruawāhia is a town in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is located 20 km north-west of Hamilton at the confluence of the Waikato and Waipa Rivers...

 and Cambridge), will be completely bypassed by the expressway, allowing through traffic to move much more efficiently.

History

While not officially designated as the Waikato Expressway until the early 2000s, the upgrading of State Highway 1 from the Bombay Hills to Mercer in 1992 can be considered to be the first step in the construction of the expressway. During this upgrade, State Highway 1 from the end of the Southern Motorway to just north of Mercer was upgraded from two lanes to four, with fully grade separated interchanges constructed at Bombay and the junction with State Highway 2 just north of the township of Pokeno

Pokeno

Pokeno is a small town in New Zealand, located 50 kilometres southeast of Auckland. State Highway 1 originally ran through the town, but the upgrading of the highway in 1992 to expressway standards mean that the town has been bypassed....

. A bypass of Pokeno was also constructed at this time, as well as several partially separated interchanges to allow access for local property owners along the route.

The next stage to be completed was the Rangiriri to Ohinewai in 2003, followed by the Mercer to Longswamp section in July 2006. The Mercer to Longswamp section used the existing two laned section of State Highway one as a carriageway for northbound traffic, while a separate carriageway for southbound traffic was constructed in parallel. A grade separated interchange at Mercer was also constructed, incorporating an overpass for the southbound lanes to cross over the Main trunk railway at this point.

In 2009 the Waikato Expressway was announced by New Zealand's minister of Transport, Steven Joyce

Steven Joyce

Steven Leonard Joyce is a New Zealand politician, who entered the New Zealand House of Representatives in 2008 as a member of the New Zealand National Party...

, as being one of seven "Roads of national significance".

In September 2010, construction began on the Te Rapa Bypass. This bypass is part of a spur route that will eventually connect the Waikato Expressway with the northern suburbs of Hamilton and is due to be completed in early 2013. A contract for construction of the section of the mainline expressway between Taupiri and Te Rapa (the Ngaruawahia bypass) has been awarded to Fletcher Construction

Fletcher Construction

Fletcher Construction Limited is a leading New Zealand construction company. It is owned by Fletcher Building Limited and has three main divisions:*Building and interiors *South Pacific...

 and construction is expected to begin in late 2011 with completion expected in 2014.

Exit list

Territorial authority	Location	Exit Exit number An exit number is a number assigned to a road junction, usually an exit from a freeway. It is usually marked on the same sign as the destinations of the exit, as well as a sign in the gore....	Destination	Notes
Franklin District Franklin District The territorial authority of Franklin District was abolished on 31 October 2010 and was divided between Auckland Council in the Auckland Region to the north and Waikato and Hauraki districts in the Waikato Region to the south and east. It was administered from the town of Pukekohe...	Bombay		SH 1/ Thermal Explorer Highway North Southern Motorway Auckland Southern Motorway The Auckland Southern Motorway is the major route south out of the Auckland Region of New Zealand. It is part of State Highway 1....   Manukau Manukau Manukau City was a large territorial authority in Auckland, New Zealand. The city was sometimes referred to as South Auckland, but this term did not possess official recognition and did not encompass areas like East Auckland, which was previously within the official boundaries of Manukau City... , Auckland Auckland The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...	Waikato Expressway begins
		471	Great South Road Bombay, Pukekohe Bombay Service Centre	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
		473	Beaver Road	No east/west connection
		474	Ridge Road
	Pokeno	476	Razorback Road	Northbound entrance and southbound exit
		477	SH 2 New Zealand State Highway 2 State Highway 2 is one of New Zealand's eight national highways. With the exception of State Highway 1, which runs the length of both of the country's main islands, SH 2 is the longest highway in the North Island...   Coromandel Peninsula Coromandel Peninsula The Coromandel Peninsula lies in the North Island of New Zealand. It is part of the Waikato Region and Thames-Coromandel District and extends 85 kilometres north from the western end of the Bay of Plenty, forming a natural barrier to protect the Hauraki Gulf and the Firth of Thames in the west... , Tauranga Tauranga Tauranga is the most populous city in the Bay of Plenty region, in the North Island of New Zealand.It was settled by Europeans in the early 19th century and was constituted as a city in 1963...
			Great South Road Pokeno Pokeno Pokeno is a small town in New Zealand, located 50 kilometres southeast of Auckland. State Highway 1 originally ran through the town, but the upgrading of the highway in 1992 to expressway standards mean that the town has been bypassed....	Northbound entrance and southbound exit
			Great South Road Pokeno	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
			Pioneer Road	Northbound exit is right hand turn
	Mercer		Mercer
Waikato District Waikato District Waikato District is a territorial authority of New Zealand, in the northern part of Waikato Region, North Island. Waikato District is administered by the Waikato District Council, with headquarters in Ngaruawahia....			Oram Road
			Island Block Road Meremere Meremere Meremere is a small town in the northern Waikato region in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located on the east bank of the Waikato River, 50 kilometres north of Hamilton....	To close when full interchange is built at Spring Hill Road
			Spring Hill Road Meremere	Full interchange to be built as part of stage 2
			Dragway Road Fram Autolite Dragway	To close when full interchange is built at Spring Hill Road
		Hampton Downs Road Hampton Downs Hampton Downs Hampton Downs Motorsport Park is situated in North Waikato , New Zealand near the Meremere drag strip and the dirt track club. The motorsport park is an ambitious privately funded enterprise and the construction began in February 2007. The completion was planned for late 2008 but a particularly wet... , Spring Hill Corrections Facility
Currently terminates at Hampton Downs Road interchange
Waikato District			Whangamarino Road South	Southbound entrance and exit only
			Paddy Road	Full interchange to be built as stage 2
			Hall Road	To close when Paddy Road interchange completed
			Wayside Road Te Kauwhata Te Kauwhata Te Kauwhata is a small town in the north of the Waikato region of New Zealand, situated close to the western shore of Lake Waikare, some 40 km north of Hamilton...	Southbound entrance and exit only
			Plantation Road
			Te Kauwhata Road Te Kauwhata
	Rangiriri		Rangiriri Rangiriri Rangiriri was a rural New Zealand parliamentary electorate in the Auckland Region from 1978 to 1984.-History:The electorate existed only from 1978 to 1984: it replaced the Franklin electorate in 1978, but the name was changed back to Franklin in 1984....
Currently terminates at Rangiriri
Waikato District			Armatage Road	Northbound entrance and exit only
			Tahuna Road Tahuna, Ohinewai
Currently terminates at Frost Road
Waikato District			Frost Road Huntly Huntly, New Zealand Huntly is a town in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is on State Highway 1, 93 kilometres south of Auckland and 35 kilometres north of Hamilton. It is situated on the North Island Main Trunk Railway and straddles the Waikato River.Huntly was called Rahui Pokeka when...
			Orini Road
			Gordonton Road Taupiri, Gordonton
			Lake Road Hamilton Hamilton, New Zealand Hamilton is the centre of New Zealand's fourth largest urban area, and Hamilton City is the country's fourth largest territorial authority. Hamilton is in the Waikato Region of the North Island, approximately south of Auckland... , Ngaruawahia Ngaruawahia Ngāruawāhia is a town in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is located 20 km north-west of Hamilton at the confluence of the Waikato and Waipa Rivers...
			Greenhill Road Hamilton
			Ruakura Road Hamilton
			SH 26 New Zealand State Highway 26 State Highway 26 is a State Highway in the North Island of New Zealand, linking Hamilton with the Coromandel Peninsula. It starts in the southeastern Hamilton suburb of Hillcrest, and travels 96 kilometres to Kopu, 6 kilometres south of Thames, where it joins with State Highway 25... Hamilton, Morrinsville Morrinsville Morrinsville is a town in the Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island. The land for the town and surrounding farmland was purchased from Wirimu Tamehana,the king maker prior to the NZ land wars of the 1860s. The land then was very swampy...	Northbound entrance and southbound exit only
			Matangi Road Hamilton
Currently terminates at Matangi Road
Waikato District	Tamahere		SH 21 New Zealand State Highway 21 State Highway 21 is a short 6.7 kilometre stretch of highway in the North Island of New Zealand. It links State Highway 1, Waikato Expressway at Tamahere and State Highway 3 at Ohaupo...   Tamahere Tamahere Tamahere is a semi-rural ward of the Waikato District on the outskirts of Hamilton.-Demographics:According to the 2006 census, the Tamahere and Tauwhare area has a combined population of 4623... , Hamilton International Airport Hamilton International Airport For the airport in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, see Hamilton/John C. Munro International Airport.The Hamilton International Airport is an airport located in the Waikato region, in New Zealand...
Currently terminates at Tamahere Road
Waipa District Waipa District Waipa District Council in the Waikato region of New Zealand is a municipality that covers Te Awamutu, Cambridge and several small towns. The seat of the council is at Te Awamutu. The district's population at the was , of whom approximately 35% lived in each of the main two towns. The district has...			Cambridge Road Cambridge Cambridge, New Zealand Cambridge is a town in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand. Situated 24 kilometres southeast of Hamilton, on the banks of the Waikato River, Cambridge is known as "The Town of Trees & Champions".In the 1840s Cambridge had a Maori population but in the 1850's missionaries and...	Northbound entrance and southbound exit
			Victoria Road Cambridge
			Tirau Road Cambridge	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
			SH 1/Thermal Explorer Highway South Rotorua Rotorua Rotorua is a city on the southern shores of the lake of the same name, in the Bay of Plenty region of the North Island of New Zealand. The city is the seat of the Rotorua District, a territorial authority encompassing the city and several other nearby towns... , Taupo Taupo Taupo is a town on the shore of Lake Taupo in the centre of the North Island of New Zealand. It is the seat of the Taupo District Council and lies in the southern Waikato Region....	Waikato Expressway ends