We’re improving the safety of State Highway 1 between Levin and Foxton by installing a new roundabout at the intersection with Waitārere Beach Road, stretches of painted wide centreline, roadside and median barriers, and new turnaround facilities.
We’re improving the safety of State Highway 1 (SH1) from Levin to Foxton while we work to deliver the new highway from Ōtaki to north of Levin.
Once the new highway is complete, these safety improvements will keep people safe while they transition to a different driving environment.
To help prevent deaths and serious injuries on this road, we’re installing a roundabout at the intersection with Waitārere Beach Road, stretches of painted wide centreline, roadside and median barrier, and new turnaround facilities.
We know these types of safety improvements are new for the area and have engaged our iwi and hapū partners, local government partners, key stakeholders, and the local community to get feedback and insights and to address any concerns about the infrastructure improvements. A summary of the feedback we received can be downloaded through the link below.
Engagement summary [PDF, 255 KB](external link)
CloseFlexible median barriers are a key part of this project.
These barriers put a barrier between you and an oncoming car, truck or motorcycle. This means that if someone loses control or drifts across the centreline, the result isn’t a deadly head-on crash. We know median barriers down the centreline are very effective, because of the number of times they get hit.
We also know that this stretch of SH1 is used by a wide variety of people including local farmers and residents, families transporting children to and from school, emergency and freight vehicles, as well as the thousands of other travellers that use this stretch of SH1 each year.
We have designed the improvements, including the flexible median barrier, with the needs of these different groups of people in mind and with the goal of making sure that everyone who uses the road gets to their destination safely.
More information on the flexible median barriers, including the different factors we considered in deciding where to put them, is available on our Safety infrastructure page.
Safety infrastructure – SH1 Levin to Foxton
CloseWe’re improving the safety of State Highway 1 (SH1) from Levin to Foxton while we work to deliver the new highway from Ōtaki to north of Levin. Once the new highway is complete, these safety improvements will keep people safe while they transition to a different driving environment. To help prevent deaths and serious injuries on this road, we’re installing a roundabout at the intersection with Waitārere Beach Road, stretches of painted wide centreline, roadside and median barrier, and new turnaround facilities.
The safety improvements will be constructed in four stages. These are:
Flexible median barrier will be installed along this stretch with a turnaround facility constructed at the southern entrance to Foxton.
Construction on Stage 1 of improvements began on 9 January and is due to be completed by mid-2024.
CloseFlexible median will be installed along this stretch with a gap at the entrance to Mitchpine Mill and turnaround facilities at Oturoa and Koputaroa roads. Sections of the road will be widened to make room for the median barrier. A small section of side barrier will also be installed on the southbound lane just south of the Oturoa Road intersection to prevent vehicles driving into a ditch.
Construction on Stage 2 of improvements began on 26 February and is due to be completed by the end of 2024.
CloseA roundabout will be constructed at the Waitārere Beach Road intersection with small stretches of flexible median barrier installed at the northern and southern roundabout entries. A small section of side barrier will be installed on the southbound lane north of the roundabout to prevent vehicles driving into a concrete brick wall. A right turn bay will also be installed outside Poroutawhao School.
CloseThe road will be widened to allow a wide centreline to be installed. Side barrier will be installed along most of the southbound lane, with two smaller stretches also installed on the northbound lane to prevent vehicles driving into roadside ditches.
CloseTraffic management will be in place during construction of the safety improvements to ensure the safety of crews and road users.
From Sunday 5 May until the end of the month, crews will be working overnight to get the road ready for the installation of flexible median barrier.
These works are being completed between the hours of 7pm and 7am, Sunday to Thursday, to minimise disruptions to traffic.
Both lanes of the road remain open throughout this work, but both directions will be shifted closer to the centre line and a lower speed will in place. These changes will add fewer than 5 minutes delay to travel times.
There will continue to be right in/right out access to all accessways until the turnaround facility at Oturoa Road is operational in June.
The facility is designed to provide a safe place for road users to turnaround once the flexible median barrier has been installed in the area.
After the turnaround facility is operational, contractors will install the posts and wire rope for the median barrier. A further update will be provided prior to this work happening.
In the event of bad weather, these works will happen on the next fine evening.
During the day, the current 30km/h temporary speed limit in place on SH1 just before and after the intersection with Oturoa Road, and on a section of Oturoa Road itself, will remain while work continues on the turnaround facility.
Construction on the Koputaroa Road turnaround facility and the installation of median barrier between Oturoa Road and Koputaroa Road will happen later this year. We will provide an update prior to this work taking place.
CloseFrom Sunday 12 May until Thursday 16 May our contractor will be undertaking works in preparation for the installation of flexible median barrier on SH1 between the southern entrance to Foxton and the Manawatū River Bridge. This work will involve drilling holes in the centreline in preparation for the barrier posts to be installed.
These works will be completed at night between the hours of 7pm and 7am to minimise disruptions to traffic. While this work is underway, a lane shift will be in place, moving the traffic to either side of the centre line. This will be in addition to a 30km/h temporary speed limit.
From Sunday 19 May, workers will begin installing the barrier posts and wire rope for the median barrier. We will provide an update next week on what traffic management will be in place while this work is completed.
From Monday 13 May to Friday 17 May our contractor will be installing traffic islands at the intersection of SH1 and Newth Road in preparation for the flexible median barrier being installed on the highway. These works will be completed during the day between the hours of 7am and 5pm
From 7am each day there will be no access to Newth Road from SH1. From 5pm each day, motorists will be able to access Newth Road from the southbound lane but there will be no access from the northbound lane. A temporary speed limit of 50km/h will be in place at the intersection until works are complete.
Motorists needing to travel to or from Newth Road are advised to detour via Ridge Road and Purcell Street. The detour is expected to add up to 10 minutes to journey times.
Once the traffic islands are installed, access to and from Newth Road via SH1 will be via the southbound lane only in preparation for the flexible median barrier to be installed.
Once the traffic islands are installed, people travelling north on SH1 who want to access Newth Road can use the new turnaround at the southern entrance to Foxton, which will be operational from Friday 10 May. People who want to travel north from Newth Road on SH1 can use the existing turnaround underneath the Manawatū River Bridge.
The 30km/h temporary speed limit will remain in place at the Foxton turnaround until line marking is completed. This is expected to be finished by Wednesday 15 May.
During the week of Monday 13 May, our contractor will also be undertaking widening work during the day on two accessways adjacent to SH1 between Foxton and the Manawatū River Bridge.
When this work is underway, the area of road outside the accessway being worked on will be reduced to one lane with stop/go traffic management and a temporary speed limit of 30km/h in place.
People travelling on SH1 between Levin and Foxton should prepare for delays of up to 5 minutes while this work is underway.
CloseAlternatively you can write to us:
Ōtaki to north of Levin Project Team
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency (Level 5)
Private Bag 6995
Wellington 6141
