On-off ramps at the southern end of the Cambridge section of Waikato Expressway have again been ruled out by New Zealand Transport Agency.
The traffic volumes are insufficient to justify building them, Taupō MP Louise Upston told her Friendly Forum in the Town Hall on Friday.
“NZTA tells me the expressway was not intended for local traffic, it was intended as an expressway,” she told The News afterwards.
The Victoria Rd interchange was designed for northbound and southbound connections to Cambridge and there were no plans to provide additional access points.
Waikato Expressway at Tirau Road
Susan O’Regan
Upston had earlier met Waipā mayor Susan O’Regan and chief executive Steph O’Sullivan for their regular update and passed on NZTA’s feedback.
“It was great to meet the new CEO, I have known her for years and she is an exciting addition to the council team.”
The issue of a third Waikato River crossing also came up with “many wanting it yesterday,” said Upston.
As soon as she has further traffic data, she was “happy to advocate” with NZTA but the timeframe was shortening as it was not a fast track project.
Roads continue to feature at Upston’s forums. Southern Links – a network of state highway and urban arterial routes weaving its way from Hamilton via 21km of state highway, three new bridges and 11kms of urban arterial roads – to Tamahere is on the list of 19 Waikato fast tracked projects.
“It will make a big difference to Waipā,” she said.
The Cambridge to Piarere four-laning was another of the 19 but the two projects would have different funding and finance models. Third party or tolling is likely to feature in Southern Links.
The southern interchange at Newcombe Road could be a quick release valve for traffic Cambridge, but NZTA argues a turning bay further south already provides that.
The News also asked about the proposed quarry at Newcombe Rd and the impact on Cambridge with the increase of trucks through town.
Upston said it was up to Waipā district and Waikato regional councils to make the decision, but the reality was with big infrastructure projects, there was a need for sand.
A plan to establish a new medical school at Waikato University had also passed the next stage since her last Friendly Forum in Cambridge.
It is a proposal Upston has always supported. She had terse words for Auckland and Otago universities who continue to oppose the Waikato proposal.
Taupō MP Louise Upston welcomes the crowd of 500 to the Cambridge Town Hall public meeting watched by National Party leader Christopher Luxon. Photo: Mary Anne Gill.
“I’ve explained it lots of times, it is not the same as Auckland and Otago currently offer.
“This is post graduate, a rural medicine model that is common in Australia and is about supporting provincial and rural New Zealand with our health workforce.
“I don’t think it’s good enough for Auckland and Otago to say they can deliver the health workforce because they haven’t.”
In addition to her roles as minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector, Social Development and Employment and Child Poverty Reduction, Upston recently took on Disability Issues.
Two months ago, she took immediate action to stabilise the disability support system after an independent review found the Ministry of Disabled People was ill-prepared to deliver the services.
The taskforce released its first newsletter last week.
“It’s challenging, we’re working on it at pace.
“I see there is a massive need to ensure greater access to services, a much fairer system that doesn’t have significant disparity based on where you live. We want to make sure the $1.1 billion of funding goes to where it’s needed the most. It is about investing earlier for better outcomes,” said Upston.
The MP, who was first elected in 2008, holds regular friendly forums throughout her Taupō electorate which takes in Taupō, Tūrangi, Tokoroa, Putāruru, Tīrau and Cambridge.
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Louise Upston at her Cambridge Town Hall Friendly Forum. Photo: Supplied.
