The Kahikatea Upgrade Project was a significant infrastructure initiative in Hamilton, requiring careful traffic management to minimise disruption. The Council wanted robust, evidence-based insights into how the works affected vehicle movements, both on designated detour routes and across the wider network.

Our Approach:

• Virtual Gate Setup – Defined GPS-based entry and exit points to capture and track trips on targeted corridors.
• Trip Isolation & Categorisation – Extracted and classified trips along official detour routes as well as potential rat-running paths.
• Performance Analysis – Assessed traffic volumes, speeds, and congestion points to evaluate how well detours absorbed displaced traffic.
• Timeline Comparison – Analysed pre-construction, active works, and post-completion periods to measure both immediate and lasting impacts.

Impact:

• Detour Effectiveness – Identified which routes managed diverted traffic effectively and which required adjustments.
• Rat-Running Hotspots – Mapped unofficial routes used to avoid congestion, enabling targeted enforcement or mitigation.
• Evidence for Future Projects – Provided a replicable data-driven framework for managing detours and minimising disruption in future infrastructure works.

By delivering a clear, longitudinal view of traffic behaviour, this project has helped Hamilton City Council improve how it plans and manages major roadworks, making the city’s transport network more resilient and efficient.

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