Another stretch of State Highway 1 (SH1) near Taupō has been made safer with the installation of median barriers.
Flexible safety barriers have been installed along 5km of the East Taupō Arterial – the 15km route which takes SH1 around the town.
The bypass opened in 2010 and this is the second of 3 stages to be retrofitted with central barriers, offering an increase in protection for everyone who uses the road.
The latest stage runs from SH5-Napier Road south to the airport roundabout. The first stage between SH5-Napier Road and Centennial Drive was completed in 2022. The final section, from Centennial Drive to SH1-Wairakei, requires some remedial works before the barriers can be fitted and is awaiting funding.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi Regional Manager Infrastructure Delivery, Jo Wilton, says the improvements bring the road into line with current safety standards.
“Flexible road safety barriers are installed down the middle of a road to prevent head-on collisions, or along the side of the road to help stop run-off-road crashes. These improvements make the road more forgiving of human error, helping prevent crashes and making them more survivable if they do happen.”
In the 10 years between 2014-2023, 6 people were killed and 4 were seriously injured on the bypass route.
‘’Each crash has huge impacts on the people involved, their families, emergency services and the health sector. As well as saving lives and preventing crash trauma, safety upgrades like this result in fewer crashes which means the highway is more efficient and can support productivity and economic growth in the region,” Ms Wilton says.
The latest improvement, which cost $6.6 million, required road widening to make room for the central barriers. Some side barriers and earth bunds were added to separate highway traffic from the shared path which runs alongside the highway.
