SH1 Whangārei to Wellsford

Overview

• 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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Project map