SH57 safety improvements

We plan to make the following safety improvements:

• Build a roundabout at the Queen St/SH57 intersection to reduce speeds and make it easier for you to choose the right time to enter flowing traffic.
• Install stretches of edge barriers to prevent vehicles hitting something much less forgiving, like a power poles or drainage ditches.
• Widen the centrelines to provide greater separation between vehicles. The existing road seal will be widened to accommodate the safety and infrastructure and improve the overall integrity of the road.

These safety improvements fit within the existing highway corridor and are a continuation of the safety improvements further north on SH57 completed in early 2020.

Community input will help fine tune the safety improvement designs. Construction is expected to begin this summer and take approximately 18–24 months to complete.

Read the latest information on the Safety improvements updates page

Alongside these safety improvements, we are reviewing the current speed limits on SH57 between SH1 and Shannon to make sure they are safe and appropriate for this road. Regardless of the cause of a crash, speed is most likely to determine whether anyone is killed, injured or walks away unharmed.

Engagement with the community helps us get feedback and local knowledge on how you use the road and your concerns. The feedback gained helps us determine if and what proposed speed limit changes will be formally consulted on.

We completed similar safety improvement work on SH57 between Heatherlea East Road and Graham Road in early 2020 as part of the SH57/SH1 to Shannon project.

Safety improvements on SH57 are part of the wider Ōtaki to north of Levin programme of works which included delivering the new Ōtaki to north of Levin highway within the next decade.

SH57/SH1 to Shannon project details

Ōtaki to north of Levin programme of works