Funding has been approved for a new roundabout where Glenbrook Road joins State Highway 22 between Drury and Paerata. The roundabout will improve road safety, access to housing and a new education facility in the area.
Construction of the new $16.4 million roundabout will begin in early 2021 and be completed later in the year.
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency Senior Manager Project Delivery Andrew Thackwray says the roundabout will make SH22 much safer for motorists making right hand turns on to and from this busy rural road.
“Improvements to this intersection are a priority due to the current road safety risk. There have been 21 recorded crashes within 400 metres of the intersection between January 2015 and December 2019.”
The new roundabout is among a range of safety improvements Waka Kotahi is implementing for SH22, which includes reducing the speed limit in June and a right-hand turning bay at Jesmond Road. Investigations continue into further safety measures along the route for such interventions as safety barriers, turning bays and localised road widening.
Up to 25,000 vehicles a day use SH22 to connect to SH1, and vehicle numbers are increasing as the local population grows. About 10,000 vehicles a day enter or leave SH22 at Glenbrook Road. It is currently a Give Way controlled intersection with a high volume of turning traffic.
Any move to improve safety at the Glenbrook Road intersection will be welcome news to the local community, says the chairperson of the Franklin Local Board, Andy Baker.
“It is pleasing to see after a significant time of being planned and talked about that the roundabout is to be built, making this busy and dangerous intersection safer and easier for traffic from all directions.”
The intersection will have four legs including access to the Paerata Rise development where 4,500 new homes are under development.
Chris Johnston, Executive Director of Grafton Downs Limited, the developer of Paerata Rise, says: “We are pleased Waka Kotahi has progressed this project to ensure greater safety for all road users.”
“Thanks to Waka Kotahi, the roundabout will allow us to open our Boulevard Road, which is a central route to the Paerata Rise town. Boulevard Road will give the community greater access to the new Paerata Primary School set to open in 2021.”
Approaching Drury, work is nearing completion to improve the SH22/Great South Road intersection. Safety improvements include widening the road, relocating utilities, extending flush medians (the white diagonal lines painted in the centre of the road), and improving line markings and traffic islands. Traffic is already into its final alignment and some minor work is to be completed. The work is being delivered by the developer of the Drury South Crossing business park.
The new roundabout, safety improvements and safer speed limits on SH22 are part of the Waka Kotahi Safe Network Programme. The programme is delivering proven safety interventions on our highest risk intersections and roads across New Zealand. Aligned to New Zealand’s Road Safety Strategy, Road to Zero 2020 – 2030, the Safe Network Programme aims to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on our roads by focusing on safe roads and roadsides, safe and appropriate speeds, and safe level crossings.
The Glenbrook Road intersection on SH22 will become a roundabout with construction starting in early 2021.
More information on SH22 safety improvements
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