Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency is advising that plants on the State Highway 35 Awapuni Road and Grey Street roundabout will be removed on Saturday 21 March between 8am and 1pm.
The decision to remove the plants from the centre of the roundabout was made because it has become too difficult to maintain them safely.
“Due to the high volumes of traffic passing through the roundabout, we would need to close the road for our workers to be able to tend to the plants in a safe environment,” Senior Network and Journey Manager Helen Harris says.
“Safety of our workers is a priority, but we want also want to avoid closing the road and causing disruption to road users.
“We know there may be some in the community who will be disappointed, but the removal of the plants will mean we won’t need to regularly close the road to safely maintain the plants.
“The tree will remain and we are open to ideas from the community about possibly redesigning the centre of the roundabout.”
The Transport Agency had initially hoped to keep many of the plants in tact to be replanted elsewhere. However, to assist with the removal of the plants, they will be sprayed and will therefore be unable to be replanted.
During the removal on Saturday 21 March, the four legs to the roundabout will be under stop/go traffic management. Motorists are advised to expect delays through the area of up to 15 minutes and should plan ahead.
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