This project is no longer proceeding to construction to align with government priorities.
Improving road safety is a top priority for the NZTA and how we invest in road safety is changing. Our focus is on delivering safe roading infrastructure via the Roads of National Significance and Roads of Regional Significance, providing enhanced maintenance and highway resilience. Some funding is available for value-for-money safety improvements at the highest-risk locations.
How speed limits are managed in New Zealand is also changing. NZTA will be supporting a targeted approach to highway speed management focussed on safe and efficient travel and supporting Police to meet speed-related enforcement targets. These changes in priorities mean the SH1 Hampden to Palmerston and SH1 Herbert to Hampden safe network projects are no longer proceeding through to construction. Planning and design work will be kept for future reassessment. We will let you know if this project is prioritised again.
This is a busy main highway linking Christchurch and Dunedin, and carries a mix of freight, agricultural vehicles, local commuters and visitors. The highway spans the territorial boundaries of Dunedin City Council and Waitaki District Council.
This is a challenging stretch of highway to drive with its curves and rolling terrain. In the 10-year period from 2010 to 2019, there were 82 crashes on this road; three were fatal and eight were serious injury crashes. The main reason for the crashes was due to loss of control on curves, running off the road and hitting trees or fencing, driving into ditches or head-on vehicles crashes. There have also been a significant number of intersection crashes.
Previous engagement around safety improvements on this route were carried out in 2018 as part of the Safe Roads business case. This focused on gathering information from the community and stakeholders about improving future safety of this road and meetings with key stakeholders, workshops, community drop-in sessions and open days.
