Southern Links Put on Hold as Government Funding Dries Up - TCC Calls For NZTA Meeting

The long-awaited and much needed Hamilton Southern Links project has been put on hold, with NZ Transport Agency confirming it will pause the current pre-implementation phase as pressure on Government transport funding forces major projects to be staged over a longer timeframe.

NZTA says Southern Links remains an important long-term project for both the Waikato and the Government, but current fiscal constraints mean work can be paused without affecting the region’s 10-to-30-year growth plans. The agency says work completed over the past 18 months will be retained so the project can be picked up again when funding becomes available.

For Tamahere, however, the pause raises more immediate concerns about the growing pressure on SH21 — Airport Road/Tamahere Drive — and its connection with the Waikato Expressway. Traffic using the route from the south to gain access to SH1 is already increasing, placing additional pressure on a corridor already carrying significant local and airport traffic.

Tamahere Community Committee Chair Charles Fletcher has moved quickly to seek discussions with NZTA following the announcement, asking agency representatives to meet with the committee to discuss the consequences for the community.

Charles Fletcher says the announcement came “just a short time after Tuesday night’s TCC meeting” and that, while NZTA was already aware of Tamahere’s concerns, “it is timely to have a discussion as we try to deal with the consequences.”

He also pointed to the wider issue of getting the project funded, saying: “Funding the Southern Links project is a Government political decision and we will need more significant engagement with our local politicians.”

Southern Links is intended to provide a major transport connection across Hamilton’s southern edge, ultimately linking SH1 at Tamahere with SH3 and the western side of Hamilton. The project includes a new Waikato River crossing and connections serving Peacocke, Hamilton Airport and surrounding growth areas.

The requested meeting with NZTA should provide an opportunity for the TCC to put those concerns directly to the agency, while the much bigger question of when Southern Links will actually be funded now moves firmly back into the political arena.

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