About this Project

The SH1 Avalon Drive Bypass will provide a new free flowing bypass road that will bypass the congested section of Avalon Drive from Rotokauri Road to Norton Road.

The bypass road will be approximately two kilometres long and have roundabout intersections at each end. The project commences north of the existing intersection of Rotokauri Road with SH1, diverts to the east away from the existing highway by a roundabout intersection with the bypass running parallel to the railway along vacant ex-railway land. The bypass will pass over Forest Lake Road on a new overbridge that will be built alongside the existing railway overbridge. The bypass will then reconnect with the existing SH1 alignment at a new five-leg roundabout connecting with Norton Road, Lincoln Street and Rifle Range Road. Norton Road will be lowered to pass under a new railway bridge, which will replace the existing railway level crossing.

The existing highway, which carries in excess of 25,000 vehicles per day, suffers from safety issues, congestion and delays, and environmental degradation through the adjacent residential and commercial areas along Avalon Drive (with a posted speed of 60km./h). There are significant delays at the two signalised intersections at Forest Lake Road and Norton Road, with the delays at Norton road compounded by the adjacent railway level crossing.

The intersection delays result in drivers taking short cuts through adjacent residential streets with consequent congestion and safety issues at minor intersections with local roads and the state highway.

A busy state highway passing through a built up urban area can constitute an increased safety risk for local inhabitants, degrade the environment of the community, and create a severance effect within the community.  It also impedes the passage of through traffic, increasing travel time and costs for people and freight.

The new bypass will initially be constructed as a two-lane route. However, provision has been made within the project’s current land designation for a further two lanes to be added as future traffic demand requires.

The project is within the Hamilton City Council (HCC) urban area, and Transit has worked in partnership with HCC to deliver this project.  The existing Avalon Drive will be transferred to HCC control when construction of the bypass alignment is completed.

Once completed the Avalon Drive Bypass will:

  • Provide improved travel times and safety for inter-regional and inter-city traffic
  • Improve the residential and retail environment of the bypassed section of Avalon Drive
  • Eliminate the problems caused by numerous private access and minor road junctions on this section of SH1
  • Provide convenient access at each end to divert to or join from local roads

The Avalon Drive Bypass will also form part of an integrated package of projects making up the western corridor strategy for greater Hamilton. The western corridor is the existing SH1 through Hamilton serving the city’s commercial and industrial hub and providing connections to the Crawford Street Rail Village. It also links to SH23 to Raglan and SH3 to Taranaki. The western corridor will ultimately provide a transport system that will assist regional economic development and facilitate the efficient movement of people and goods in the through the region.

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Funding

The project is being funded through the National Land Transport Fund administered by Land Transport New Zealand.

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Options

In 1999 Transit engaged consultants to investigate options to improve capacity and address concerns about congestion and conflict between inter-regional and local traffic on SH1 in west Hamilton.

Ten initial options were investigated. These included options for upgrading the existing length of Avalon Drive south of Rotokauri Road with widening and intersection variations, and various bypass options with connections at different locations back to the existing Avalon Drive. Out of all these initial options two main options were considered in detail. These two alternatives were:

  • Four-laning of the existing two lane road between Rotokauri Road and the Norton / Rifle Range road Intersection
  • Construction of a two km-long bypass road between Rotokauri Road and the Norton / Rifle Range road Intersection

Different intersection forms were also examined for each option.

After extensive investigation and community consultation the option of a bypass road along redundant railway land was selected. This option was seen as providing the most efficient outcome and the most advantageous solution for the existing residential and business area.

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What this Project Includes:

The Avalon Drive Bypass project consists of:

  • A two-lane bypass generally to the west of and following the existing rail corridor.
  • A new four-leg roundabout at Rotokauri Road to connect the bypass to Avalon Drive and Crawford Street.
  • Underpasses at the roundabouts to allow safe passage of pedestrians and cyclists away from road traffic.
  • A new five-leg roundabout at Norton Road to connect the bypass to Lincoln Street, Norton Road and Rifle Range Road.
  • A railway bridge to carry the North Island Main Trunk Line over Norton Road and the lowering of Norton Road to pass under the new bridge. (The new Norton Roundabout will be lowered approximately 3 metres below the current intersection level. Norton Road will be lowered further as it passes under the new railway bridge, before rising to reconnect with the existing carriageway. This will replace the existing railway level crossing).
  • Significant lengths of noise walls along the bypass length to mitigate the effect of traffic noise on adjacent residential areas.
  • An 8000 m3 retention pond.
  • Provision for the future four-laning of the bypass.