FAQs

Making SH1 from Wellsford to north of Warkworth safer

Why this road needed to be made safer

Dome Valley, State Highway 1 (SH1) between Wellsford and Warkworth, needed to be made safer. In the past 10 years (between 2005 and 2015), 17 people lost their lives and 45 people were seriously injured on this stretch of road.

Most of these crashes were caused by drivers losing control and running off the road or crossing the centreline and hitting an oncoming vehicle.

What did you do to make it safer?

We added safety improvements to this stretch of SH1. Too many people are dying or being seriously injured along SH1 and we know that the safety treatments are proven to help save lives.

This stretch of road is winding with poor visibility and steep slopes, so we were limited in the types of improvements we could use. We knew that the following safety improvements suit the road and are proven to save lives:

Putting in flexible median safety barriers to prevent head-on crashes and a wide centreline so there’s more space between oncoming vehicles.
Making road shoulders wider throughout Dome Valley so it’s safer to pull over, and so there’s more room for people who cycle.
Adding new right turn bays at L Phillips Road/Sheepworld and at the Top of the Dome rest area to make it safer to turn.
Replacing the northbound and southbound passing lanes at the top of the Dome Valley with a wide shoulder so slower vehicles have room to pull over.

Safety improvement	Description
Flexible road safety barriers in high-risk areas	We use flexible road safety barriers down the middle of a road to prevent head-on collisions and/or along the edge of the road to stop run-off-road crashes. If you hit a flexible barrier, the steel cables flex, slowing down your vehicle and keeping it upright. They absorb the impact so you, and the people with you, don’t. They also prevent you from being deflected to the other side of the road, so you don’t ‘bounce’ off them, potentially into an on-coming vehicle. Flexible road safety barriers are a good fit for our roads. They’re narrow and work best on long, straight sections and gentle curves. More importantly though, they’re the safest barrier if someone does hit them.
Road shoulder widening	A wide road shoulder provides space for people who cycle, gives drivers more room to recover if they lose control and a safe place to stop in an emergency. This can reduce serious crashes by up to 35 percent.¹
Safer right turns and turn around bays	We made it safer to turn by putting in right turn bays at: Dome Valley rest area/Top of the Dome L Phillips Road/Sheep World To prevent head-on collisions, we’ve installed flexible safety barriers along the centre of the road. For people who need to turn around, we put safe turnaround bays at the following locations: South of the Hoteo River Bridge, near the metal stock pile River Road Forestry Road, near the motor cross park Waiwhiu Road L Phillips Road Christine Place Top of the Dome rest area Forestry Road No. 2, approximately 400 metres south of Waitaraire Bridge Near Forestry Road No.3, approximately 2.6km south of Falls Bridge

Safety improvement

Description

Flexible road safety barriers in high-risk areas

We use flexible road safety barriers down the middle of a road to prevent head-on collisions and/or along the edge of the road to stop run-off-road crashes.
If you hit a flexible barrier, the steel cables flex, slowing down your vehicle and keeping it upright. They absorb the impact so you, and the people with you, don’t. They also prevent you from being deflected to the other side of the road, so you don’t ‘bounce’ off them, potentially into an on-coming vehicle.
Flexible road safety barriers are a good fit for our roads. They’re narrow and work best on long, straight sections and gentle curves. More importantly though, they’re the safest barrier if someone does hit them.

Road shoulder widening

A wide road shoulder provides space for people who cycle, gives drivers more room to recover if they lose control and a safe place to stop in an emergency.
This can reduce serious crashes by up to 35 percent.¹

Safer right turns and turn around bays

We made it safer to turn by putting in right turn bays at:

Dome Valley rest area/Top of the Dome
L Phillips Road/Sheep World

To prevent head-on collisions, we’ve installed flexible safety barriers along the centre of the road. For people who need to turn around, we put safe turnaround bays at the following locations:

South of the Hoteo River Bridge, near the metal stock pile
River Road
Forestry Road, near the motor cross park
Waiwhiu Road
L Phillips Road
Christine Place
Top of the Dome rest area
Forestry Road No. 2, approximately 400 metres south of Waitaraire Bridge
Near Forestry Road No.3, approximately 2.6km south of Falls Bridge

1 High Risk Rural Roads Guide, published September 2011, NZ Transport Agency. First edition

Construction and timing

Why did the improvements take so long?

As with many construction projects, the pandemic caused delays to the safety improvements delivery timeframe through the lockdowns, supply chain issues and the availability of resources. The route is also 15km long with some difficult terrain which caused some unexpected challenges for the team and required additional work such as adding more retaining walls. Other things that take time include working with landowners when land is required, gaining resource consent and locating and moving services (power, water).

When were the improvements finished, and why wasn't Stage 1 done?

Stages 2 to 5 are complete. Following a review and in light of current circumstances, a decision not to proceed with Stage 1 from Wayby Valley Road to Wellsford has been taken, with funding being redirected into the wider programme of works for use on priority initiatives including recovery work across the country. Ongoing remediation and maintenance of State Highway 1 in Dome Valley due to recent slips and weather-related issues will continue, which is why you will still see our crews out on the road.

Map of the project with timelines [PDF, 2.6 MB]

The safety improvements don’t look complete. Why is there often a lot of work going on when I travel through the area?

Recent weather events have impacted the state highway and contractors need to work to clear the road from time to time so that it is safe for all road users. In addition, utility providers carry out work on their assets in the area which sometimes require traffic management to be put in place.

What are you doing about the potholes?

We encourage people to drive to the conditions, slow down and maintain a safe following distance between their vehicle and the one in front to maximise their chance of seeing and responding to a pothole in the road. Potholes and other hazards can be harder to see in heavy rain and low light, which are both more prevalent in winter.

The project team have a crew that is monitoring this stretch of highway for potholes. A temporary repair is completed during the day and a more permanent solution (mill and fill) is carried out during nightwork operations.

More information about barriers

Why are you using flexible median barriers?

Flexible median barriers put something between you and an oncoming car, truck or motorcycle. This means that if someone loses control or drifts across the centreline, the result isn’t a deadly head-on crash.

Flexible road safety barriers information

With the median barriers stopping me turning right – where do I turn around?

We made sure there are spaces in the barrier so you can turn around. For people who need to turn around, we put in safe turnaround bays. See further above for the locations where they were installed.

Won’t barriers make the road narrower?

The road will be wider than it is now. Where we put barriers in we’ll also widen the road to make sure there’s space.

Pulling off the road when there is a barrier

Can drivers still to pull over?

While we don’t encourage people to stop on a state highway there’s still gaps in the barrier, especially around driveways, if you do need to pull over completely in an emergency.

Where side barriers are put in this will means there are some places where you can’t pull completely off the road.

Overall, the sealed road shoulder is wider than it was before so you’ll have more space to recover if you make a mistake, or need to pull over in an emergency.

Where can I pull over if there’s a barrier on the road?

Cars will usually be able to pull onto the shoulder beside the safety barrier. Road safety barriers may prevent some wide vehicles from pulling off completely so there are regular gaps in the side barriers, usually every 400-500 metres where possible, as well as at intersections and driveways.

Vehicles wanting to pass slower traffic can use the existing passing opportunities or will need to wait until the slower vehicle can pull over into a gap in the side barrier. While this may require some patience and understanding, it makes the road safer for everyone.

With barriers, the road space is clearly defined so agricultural or large vehicles won’t be weaving on and off the shoulder.

Barriers and large or agricultural vehicles

Will agricultural or over dimension vehicles still be able to use the road?

The widened road shoulder and the widened centreline will mean there’s room for large or agricultural vehicles. We’ll also be leaving some gaps in the barrier, at driveway entrances and intersections, so that people driving large or wide vehicles can pull off the road completely.

Do road safety barriers prevent large or agricultural vehicles from pulling over?

No, when large or wide agricultural vehicles need to make a right-hand turn, they can still pull off to the left side of the road and turn right when it is safe to do so.

How do people pass wide slow-moving vehicles when side and median barriers are installed?

For most of the route the wide shoulder provides enough room for most large and agricultural vehicles to pull over.

Barriers and emergency services

How do emergency services get to people in an accident if barriers are installed?

Barriers can be lowered and driven over in emergency situations.

Barriers and people who cycle

Can cyclists still ride on the road?

We’ve making this road safer for everyone and this includes people who cycle. Wherever we put in a side barrier we’ll make sure there’s space between it and the road for cyclists.

How many cyclists are using the route?

Not that many, but the Dome is part of the route used by people cycling to and from Northland.

Barriers and motorcyclists

What happens if a motorcyclist hits the barriers?

Motorcyclists don’t have the same protection in a crash as the occupants of vehicles, and special consideration needs to be given for how to keep them safe. Roadside and median flexible safety barriers are highly effective in preventing deaths and injuries for all road users including motorcyclists. The Safe System approach to road safety holds that while mistakes are inevitable, deaths and serious injuries are not. Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency is investing in improved roads and roadsides that are increasingly safer for motorcyclists when they or other road users make mistakes.