Key road taking shape in Peacocke

Wednesday, 21 August 2024

An aerial photo of Stage 2 of Whatukooruru Drive and a wetland under construction near Hall Road.

One of the final and key pieces to the Peacocke puzzle is readying for construction.

Work on the last section of Whatukooruru Drive, from Hall Road to Ohaupo Road (State Highway 3), will start this month. When complete, the road will provide a key connection from Ohaupo Road and Glenview to Peacockes Road in the east.

A new bridge is planned as a part of the project, and around 700m of new road. The project also includes shared paths and cycle lanes, and pipes for water and other essential services.

This is the final stage of the projects built with support from the Government’s Housing Infrastructure Fund.

Hamilton Mayor Paula Southgate said the Whatukooruru Drive project is about building “infrastructure in the right place at the right time”.

“Otherwise, we simply won't be able to have the new homes and communities we desperately need,” Southgate said.

Hamilton mayor Paula Southgate and council’s general manager of infrastructure and assets Andrew Parson saw in the long-anticipated Peacocke bridge earlier this month.

“The growth of Hamilton is not slowing and, as a city with a growing population, investing in crucial infrastructure enables our developers and construction industry to build much needed homes and services to support new suburbs, now and in the future.”

The name Whatukooruru was identified through iwi-council partnership in a bid to recognise and honour one of the original place names in the area. It comes from the name of a significant pā site in the area.

The construction company working on the road, Schick Civil Construction, began work on the first part of the road in 2020/21 as a part of the new roundabout on Ohaupo Road.

Contractor Downer NZ is currently building the second stage of the project, from Hall Road to Peacockes Road, as well as upgrading a section of Peacockes Road.

Whatukooruru Drive aims to be a key connection from Ohaupo Road and Glenview to Peacockes Road in the east.

This section of the road features 1.3km of new road, and is almost complete with line marking due to take place in November.

Peacocke’s Whatukooruru Drive is due to be fully completed in 2026 and is part of the Southern Links transport network.