Work begins in March to install between 5 and 6 kilometres of flexible median barrier on State Highway 3 between Whanganui and Bulls.
The state highway is a key route for locals, tourists, and freight but too many people are being killed or seriously injured in crashes while travelling it.
Between 2019 and 2023, there were 159 crashes on SH3 between Whanganui and Bulls, which resulted in 7 people dying and 19 being seriously injured.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) Regional Manager of Infrastructure Delivery Rob Partridge says research shows median barriers virtually eliminate head-on crashes and reduce deaths and serious injuries from run-off-road crashes by around 40-50 percent.
“The flexible barriers will deliver immediate safety benefits while maintaining efficient travel between Whanganui and Bulls.
“Flexible barriers will literally be life-saving for drivers.
“The exact lengths of these stretches of median barrier are to be confirmed but they will be installed at locations where the road is already wide enough to support the barrier.”
These stretches of median barrier will mark the start of a wider programme of safety improvements, which will see median barrier and turnaround facilities installed along much of the highway between Whanganui and Bulls.
“We are currently developing the plan for improvements along the rest of the route and will engage with residents and businesses and the wider community, as these plans develop,” says Mr Partridge.
Later this month, NZTA is hosting two community drop-in sessions. These will be an opportunity for the community to meet with members of the project team and ask questions they may have about the project:
Drop in session locations:
To provide feedback or ask questions about the project, contact sh3.w2b@nzta.govt.nz
For further information about the SH3 Whanganui to Bulls safety improvements project and to sign up to email updates visit https://nzta.govt.nz/whanganui-to-bulls
