Work begins next week on a Waka Kotahi safety improvement project along State Highway 2 in Upper Hutt.
Higgins is contracted to complete the work. They will extend median barriers along four kilometres of the state highway between the Whakatiki Street and Fergusson Drive intersections.
Parts of the road shoulder will be widened to accommodate the new median barriers. There will also be some changes to the local road layouts, and roadside barriers will be extended at the Tōtara Park Road intersection.
Location of site works, SH2 Upper Hutt.
Because State Highway 2 has a lot of traffic between Wellington and Wairarapa, Jetesh Bhula, Regional Manager Infrastructure Delivery, says the improvements are essential.
“Thousands of people use this road every day, whether to get to work or school, to visit family and friends, pick up their groceries or see the doctor. Wherever people are going, we want them to be able to get there safely.”
Mr Bhula says improving road safety with projects like this is a priority for Waka Kotahi and part of the Road to Zero strategy, which aims to cut deaths and serious injuries on the country’s roads by 40 percent by 2030.
“The median barriers being installed in Upper Hutt are critical to prevent head-on crashes. We know they work because of how often they get hit. Every time this happens, a potentially fatal or serious crash has been prevented.”
“Safety improvements like this help cut crash numbers and make it more likely, that when a crash does happen, those involved are more likely to avoid serious injuries or death,” Mr Bhula says.
Works are expected to start on Sunday, 7 May and take approximately five months to complete. Most of the work will be caried out at night when traffic volumes are lower
Works area
View larger Whakatiki Street to Fergusson Drive safety improvements map [PDF, 524 KB]
Most of the project works will be done Sunday to Thursday, between 7 pm and 5.30 am. Drivers can expect temporary speed limits and stop/go traffic management around worksites.
These works are part of the wider SH2 Ngāūranga to Featherston safety improvements project. More details can be found on the Waka Kotahi website.
