What is this project?

The intersection of Hautapu Road and State Highway 1B (Victoria Road) is the primary gateway to the Hautapu industrial area. It is also one of the busiest and most complex intersections in the corridor. It carries heavy freight, industrial vehicles and general traffic including pedestrians and cyclists. Traffic volumes are growing as the area develops.

The design has been shaped with input from heavy haulage operators, local developers, nearby residents and businesses. A new two-lane roundabout will replace the current intersection. This will transform how traffic moves through this gateway.

The design includes:

Why is this needed?

The current intersection does not function safely or efficiently at current traffic volumes and it will only get busier. Freight movements in and out of Hautapu will increase as our industrial area grows. Large and heavy vehicles need more space to turn and more time to merge, and the current layout does not accommodate them well.

Hautapu is also located within the Waikato's 'Golden Triangle' - the high-productivity corridor between Auckland, Waikato and Bay of Plenty that handles a significant portion of the country's freight. Forty percent of New Zealand's freight moves into, out of, or through Waikato. The Hautapu gateway intersection needs to work for that scale of activity a growing industrial centre in the Golden Triangle.

What about the Hautapu Cemetery?

The Hautapu Cemetery is located adjacent to the roundabout site. The roundabout design has been carefully developed to ensure no occupied areas of the cemetery are affected.

Based on the preferred design, approximately 1.25 hectares of land from the wider cemetery area will be needed to accommodate the new intersection. This area is undeveloped land - existing graves and the cemetery's active areas are not affected.

Council carried out two rounds of public consultation in June 2023, sharing draft designs and explaining the potential implications for the cemetery. Community feedback helped shape the approach now being taken forward.

We will continue to communicate openly with families, the community, and cemetery managers as the project progresses. If you have questions or concerns about the cemetery, please contact us directly.