Labour's 10-year plan for land transport instead included investment in road safety and rapid rail at the expense of state highway upgrades, putting the four-lane extension on hold. Hamilton East National MP David Bennett was strong advocate of the expressway extension and said the announcement is a stop-gap measure by the government. "The $9 million safety improvements were already part of the deal for the new road. In other NZTA plans, the Pokeno interchange will be upgraded in the medium term, with additional capacity east of the SH1 intersection providing for a safer merge between SH2 and SH1. SH29 between Te Poi and Tauriko will also be looked at for safety and resilience improvements, and will likely include better intersections.

Source: Stuff November 28, 2018 03:33 UTC