Work on parts of the $100 million Waikato Expressway’s Hamilton section are slightly behind schedule due to the wet earthworks season.
The 21.8km Hamilton section is the biggest part of the 102km four-lane expressway and is scheduled for completion in 2020, the Waikato Times reports.
The wet weather has affected both big earthwork projects in Hamilton and Huntly, NZ Transport Agency project delivery manager Peter Simcock says.
“It affected Hamilton quite seriously because the Hamilton section is largely flat and so the ground became quite waterlogged,” he says.
“This made it difficult to construct haul roads, so earthworks progressed in the areas where we had sand to grade, so we had really good progress there.
“In some parts it has been more difficult because of the wet silt material.”
The delay may be large enough to push the work into another earthworks season, which runs from October to May.
“It is frustrating, but we can’t do anything about it apart from taking advantage of good spells and trying to increase production where possible to catch up,” Simcock says.
The 15.2km Huntly section under construction is also due to be finished in 2020, and Simcock says it’s going well.
A public open day is on Saturday, April 1, so people can check out Waikato’s biggest roading project.
Visitors can do a guided walk of the site, including a bridge construction.
The open day is 10am-3pm at 164 Percival Road, Hamilton.
