Safety considerations, a district council plan change and the challenges of upgrading an intersection to cope with traffic volumes resulting from the plan change are the key drivers for a proposal to close a state highway intersection in the Central Otago town of Clyde.
Safety considerations, a district council plan change and the challenges of upgrading an intersection to cope with traffic volumes resulting from the plan change are the key drivers for a proposal to close a state highway intersection in the Central Otago town of Clyde.
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency is asking for feedback on its proposal to close the Mutton Town Road/ Clyde-Alexandra Road (SH8) intersection.
Mutton Town Road intersection with SH8, the Clyde-Alexandra Road.
Waka Kotahi Senior Safety Engineer Lisa Clifford says safety is the main reason for proposing the permanent closure of the Mutton Town Road – Clyde-Alexandra Highway (SH8) intersection, where there’s been one fatal and two non-injury crashes in the last five years.
“It’s also in response to work by both the Central Otago District Council and Waka Kotahi on the Council’s Clyde Plan Change 15. This intersection will only get riskier and more dangerous as the inevitable traffic volume grows at this site as a result of major land development changes envisaged in this Plan Change.”
She says the complexity and difficulties involved in upgrading this intersection cannot be justified when a safer alternative is available nearby at the Clyde-Alexandra Road (SH8)/Sunderland Street intersection. Safety improvements are designed for the Sunderland St intersection to manage extra traffic generated from future developments, including a planned retirement village.
“We need to hear what people think about the permanent closure plan of the Mutton Town Road intersection and whether they have any other options for us to consider before we reach our final decision,” says Ms Clifford.
Feedback should be emailed to muttontown@nzta.govt.nz or posted to: The Senior Safety Engineer, Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency, PO Box 5245, Dunedin 9058, from 1 June to 1 July 2022.
More information is available at www.codc.govt.nz/publications/plans/district-plan(external link) under plan changes.
