Cr Aksel Bech first told us about these plans for the intersection in 2021 so it is good to see some progress being made.
Councillor Crystal Beavis now confirms that these plans – which are still up for debate by Hamilton City Council – are under discussion as part of ‘revocation’ agreements under which this section of SH26 will become a local road with speed limits reduced to local road level.
Revocation means NZTA will ‘hand over’ control of this section of SH26 to:
- Hamilton City Council (the section that lies in Hamilton City from Hillcrest including the intersection pictured and extending to the overbridge over the Waikato Expressway), and to
- Waikato District Council (a smaller section in our District extending from the Expressway overbridge to the LIC corner only).
Under the revocation agreements with the two Councils, NZTA has agreed to pay a sum of money to HCC and to WDC to bring about the designs discussed on ‘their’ sections of the road – and WDC’s Infrastructure Committee has just recommended that WDC receives its share from NZTA (just over $1 million) to build the footpath along Morrinsville Rd on the section of SH26 that will be transferred to us.
HCC is looking at accepting a very much larger sum from NZTA to build the intersection and it’s share of the footpath up Morrinsville Rd. However, HCC is still debating the level of need for pedestrian/footpath access across this intersection and especially the two raised pedestrian crossings designed to get people across the roundabout safely. Some influential HCC councillors are sceptical about the number of pedestrians and cyclists who are likely to use these facilities, and some are not in favour of raised crossings. (Read the Waikato Times report on their debate here https://www.waikatotimes.co.nz/nz-news/350372239/niggles-remain-over-64-million-hamilton-roundabout-project
As a regular user of the intersection you may have some views to share on this subject. HCC will re-examine this intersection design at their next Infrastructure and Transport Committee on 26 September.
If you wish to have a say on the design which includes pedestrian access across the intersection (as well as the footpath up Morrinsville Rd) people are invited to email info@hcc.govt.nz with “Morrinsville Road fit for purpose improvements Attn Matt Leach” in the subject line.
If you want the correspondence tabled at the meeting, or to present your views at the meeting, the following link will take you to the appropriate section of the Hamilton City website: https://hamilton.govt.nz/your-council/meetings/speaking-at-meetings-and-presenting-petitions/
Submissions should be made by the end of August or by Monday 2 September latest.
Matangi Link 
This roundabout is another example of over the top expenditure and is not needed , just because its some ones idea dosnt mean that we rate payers should be paying for it , we are sick of having our rates put up to fund some ones idea . I have traveled that road for 60 years and its just fine the way it is. And as for all those stupid speed humps that you guys have spent huge amounts of our money on without our permission is total BS. How about the idiot that went ahead and did all that pay for it out of his own pocket and not ours and see how he feels. NO MORE STUOPID HUMPS !!! fix the roads instead ! Ohaupo has 4 new humps at a huge cost but the road 10m either side of one of the humps is completely stuffed, couldn’t you guys see that !!! open your eyes and ears or get the hell out of council and put someone in there that knows what they are doing. We cannot afford the stupidity and inefficiency that has gone on for so long with no accountability and just expect that rate payers will keep paying their rates to cover all of this.
LikeLike