Six high-risk roads in central and eastern Waikato are set to become safer for motorists, with Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency installing rumble strips, better roadside signs and long-life line markings.
This work is part of a programme to make regional state highways safer through a range of low-cost, high-benefit safety improvements.
Waka Kotahi Director Regional Relationships David Speirs says while traffic volumes may be lower on these roads, the risks for people travelling on them are real.
“Many deaths and serious injuries can be avoided by making relatively simple, yet effective, safety improvements.
“For example, rumble strips can reduce the total number of crashes by around 25 percent and fatal run-off-road crashes by up to 42 percent.”
Improving safety on our roads is a priority for Waka Kotahi and this work is aligned to New Zealand’s Road Safety Strategy, Road to Zero 2020 – 2030, which sets a target to see the number of people killed or seriously injured on New Zealand’s roads, cycleways and footpaths reduce by 40 percent over the next 10 years.
Work commences on the first of the six stretches of road on Monday 22 March, on State Highway 5 between Webster Road and Waiohotu Road. Following completion of this work the team will immediately move to the Waiohotu Road to Oturoa Road section. In total, work on these two sites will take approximately three weeks to complete.
Work will be undertaken at night, between the hours of 9pm and 5am. During these hours the road will be closed for 45-minute periods, from on the hour until 45 minutes past. The road will then open for 15 minutes to allow traffic through, after which it will close for another 45 minutes.
Road users are encouraged to plan ahead, as it will not be possible to travel through the site when the road is closed. Outside work hours the road will operate as normal.
During this time alternative travel between Hamilton and Rotorua can be via State Highway 30 and State Highway 1 or State Highway 36, SH29 and SH1.
Traffic management for the remaining four sites will be shared prior to the work starting.
The full list of sites being upgraded is:
Waka Kotahi thanks road users for their patience while we carry out this work.
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