The NZ Transport Agency is a step closer to significantly improving safety at the well-known Spring Creek blackspot north of Blenheim.
Marlborough Roads Manager Frank Porter says design work for a new roundabout is now underway to improve the safety of the junction of State Highway 1 and 62 at Spring Creek. This will be a welcome announcement to frequent travelers through the area and the local community because of the intersection’s checkered past, being the site of 17 crashes in the five year period between between September 2008 and August 2013 and 32 crashes in the 10 year period between September 2003 and August 2013.
“An overhaul of this intersection will make it easier and safer for everyone - whether they are motorists, truck drivers, pedestrians, or cyclists - to travel around the Spring Creek area. We want to reduce the potential for fatal and serious injuries at the intersection, while keeping traffic flowing freely on the highway and local roads,” Mr Porter says.
Before the plans are finalised and applications lodged with Marlborough District Council to seek consent for the new roundabout, Mr Porter says the community will be asked to get involved.
“An important part of the design process is public feedback. We need local knowledge and advice to make these safety improvements as successful as possible. So when the call comes later in the year for people to tell us how we can refine and improve the roundabout’s design, please come and talk to us,” Mr Porter says.
“The local community and key stakeholders like KiwiRail, other utility service providers, local iwi, road user groups, Spring Creek business owners and operators, and adjacent landowners will be able to provide valuable insights into the final shape and form of the project. We’ll be listening closely.”
Marlborough Roads will work closely with the community as it develops the roundabout’s design, and plans to hold public information days later this year as part of the design process.
“We will have staff on hand to provide people with detailed information and answer questions about the intersection improvements. This will then be analysed and feedback will be used to finalise the design of the roundabout,” Mr Porter says.
Mr Porter says the current plans are to complete the roundabout’s design by the end of this year and begin construction next year. This will be welcome news to regular road users concerned about safety on this busy intersection given this intersection is currently ranked 17th in the Transport Agency’s list of the top 100 high risk intersections in New Zealand.
The key element of the intersection improvements is the proposed roundabout.
Other proposed improvements include:
For more information please contact:
Anthony Frith
Media Manager - Central
T: 04 894 5251
M: 027 213 7617
E: anthony.frith@nzta.govt.nz
