Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency will begin work to improve safety for people travelling on State Highway 57 (SH57) from Sunday 9 January 2022.
These safety improvements will include road widening, sections of side barrier and painted wide centrelines on SH57 between the intersection with State Highway 1 (SH1) and Heatherlea East Road.
Ōtaki to north of Levin Project Director Lonnie Dalzell says improving road safety is a top priority for Waka Kotahi.
“Across the country, we’re investing in safer infrastructure in an effort to save lives and prevent people from being seriously injured in crashes on our roads.
“SH57 is an important route through this region and the upgrades we’re making on the road will help ensure that everyone who uses it can get home safely to their friends and whānau, while we progress towards construction of a new 24-kilometre four-lane highway between Ōtaki and north of Levin.”
Construction of the safety improvements will start on Sunday 9 January 2022 and is expected to be completed in mid-2022, depending on weather. Hours of work will be 7am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday.
The northbound lane on SH57 will be closed, in stages, between SH1 and Heatherlea East Road during this time. This means people travelling north to Palmerston North will need to take a detour on SH1 to Himatangi, Rangiotu Road and SH56.
The southbound lane on SH57 will remain open under speed restrictions of 30-50km/h, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to ensure people using the road, construction crews and residents are safe.
East-west connections across SH57 will also remain open.
Waka Kotahi is giving early notice of the work due to the upcoming summer holiday period and the length of time it will take to complete construction.
“We worked closely with the local council on the detour plan and have opted for a single lane detour that will allow us to complete the work in the shortest time, maintains resident access and creates a safe work site,” Mr Dalzell says.
“We know that this will still create some disruption and frustration for motorists at times, but we ask that people please be patient, follow the detour route, and take extra care near our work sites while this important safety work is underway.”
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