From now until 21 August, the NZ Transport Agency will engage with the community who use State Highway 58 on a proposed package of safety improvements.
The Transport Agency proposes to:
The Transport Agency is also recommending that we consult on a proposal to reduce the speed limit to 80km/h.
When the median safety barrier is put in place some right turns will be removed and some of the roads that connect to SH58 will become left in/left out only. Some people will have little change to their access, while others may need to travel a few minutes longer to reach their destination.
“We know that any change of access can be inconvenient, but convenience must be weighed against the need to reduce the number of deaths and injuries that occur on State Highway 58,” says Senior Manager Project Delivery Chris Hunt.
The Transport Agency is committed to addressing the poor safety record on SH58. Over the past 10 years there have been over 200 crashes causing four deaths and 17 serious injuries on the section of SH58 between State Highway 2 and the Pauatahanui roundabout. SH58 is a challenging road to drive. The road is narrow with tight, difficult curves, and many access points and intersections.
In 2014 we consulted with the community on a package of safety improvements. We received a lot of feedback on how we could improve our proposal.
“Since the 2014 engagement, we have addressed some safety concerns by realigning curves at Haywards Hill. We have also taken on board the feedback and expanded the proposed scope of improvements in order to achieve greater safety outcomes than the original proposal,” says Mr Hunt.
The Transport Agency started conversations with the community earlier this month. The online engagement process will stay open until 21 August. Community information days will be held at the Pauatahanui School 26, 27 and 29 July 2017. To register and find out more details about the proposals, see the SH58 safety improvements page: www.nzta.govt.nz/sh58-improvements
