Planned safety improvements on SH1 from Herbert to Hampden is part of the Road to Zero Programme to reduce deaths and serious injuries on our roads by 40 percent over the next decade. A key measure to help achieve this is increasing road safety infrastructure.
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency has been looking at more ways to make SH1 between Ōamaru and Dunedin safer.
This is a busy main highway linking Christchurch and Dunedin, and carries a mix of freight, agricultural vehicles, local commuters and visitors. The highway spans the territorial boundaries of Dunedin City Council and Waitaki District Council.
This is a challenging stretch of highway to drive with its curves and rolling terrain. In the 10-year period from 2010 to 2019, there were 82 crashes on this road; three were fatal and eight were serious injury crashes. The main reason for the crashes was due to loss of control on curves, running off the road and hitting trees or fencing, driving into ditches or head-on vehicles crashes. There have also been a significant number of intersection crashes.
Previous engagement around safety improvements on this route were carried out in 2018 as part of the Safe Roads business case. This focused on gathering information from the community and stakeholders about improving future safety of this road and meetings with key stakeholders, workshops, community drop-in sessions and open days.
Local communities and Waka Kotahi transport partner Waitaki District Council all want safety improvements on this section of highway and are supportive of what this project will deliver to make this road safer.
