Project introduction

This project will improve safety for road users on the stretch of State Highway 1 from Whangārei to Wellsford.

In order to align with the Government Policy Statement on land transport (GPS2024) this project is under review.

This page will be updated upon publication of the National Land Transport Plan later this year.

  • Project type

    Safety improvements
  • Project status

    Design

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Overview

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency is making safety improvements on State Highway 1 from Whangārei to Wellsford to improve safety for people travelling along this corridor..

The project covers 79km of SH1 connecting the Northland and Auckland regions and will be delivered as three separate projects.

Click on a tile below (maps indicative only) to view more information about each section.

  • Our work

    Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency is making safety improvements on State Highway 1 from Whangārei to Wellsford. These improvements will include wider centrelines, flexible median (centreline) barriers, side safety barriers and rumble strips. These works are being undertaken as part of Waka Kotahi’s speed and infrastructure programme.

    To make the project manageable, the 79km corridor of state highway from Whangārei to Wellsford has been divided in three – we call these sub-projects the Northern, Central and Southern sections.

    Each section has its own character due to terrain, road conditions and usage, nearby urban areas and other factors. The particular safety improvements for each section have been designed to meet the specific conditions found there. Improvements will include:

    • Rumble strips that cause sound and vibration when driven over, giving drivers a warning if they stray across their lane.
    • Wider centre lines that create more space between oncoming vehicles. A wider centre line can give drivers more time to react and can help prevent a crash if someone makes a mistake.
    • Flexible median barriers that help prevent head-on crashes, which is how most people are killed or seriously injured on our roads.
    • Side safety barriers that stop your vehicle before you hit something harder - like a tree, power pole or oncoming vehicle.
    • Widened road shoulders that provide room to recover if you lose control or need to take evasive action.
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