FAQs

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The project

What's the problem with this stretch of road?

State Highway 16 (SH16) between Brigham Creek and Waimauku needs to be made safer. Between 2010 and 2022, 3 people were killed, 31 people were seriously injured and several have sustained minor injuries on this stretch of road. This makes it a high risk road. While people make mistakes and crashes will happen, people being killed or seriously injured on our roads is preventable. Therefore, we are investing in safety improvements in this area.

What are you doing to make it safer?

To make SH16 safer, we’re making a number of improvements.

Stage one: Huapai to Waimauku

Between Huapai and Waimauku we are widening the narrow bridges and installing four turnaround bays to enable safe turning movements along the corridor. We’ll put in road safety barriers including flexible median barriers and roadside barriers to protect vehicles where there are dangers on the roadside like power poles, trees and deep ditches. To create more space for people who cycle we’ll create a wider road shoulder.

Stage two: Brigham Creek to Kumeū

We’re putting in road safety barriers along SH16, except between Taupaki and Kumeū. The road safety barriers will be a mix of flexible median barriers and roadside barriers. Between Taupaki and Kumeū we’re putting in a safe area in the middle of the road (known as a flush median) to provide more room and a safe place to turn, while keeping traffic flowing. Between Brigham Creek and Taupaki roundabout we’re adding extra lanes, so there will be a total of four lanes (two in each direction). We’re improving the intersection by installing a roundabout at SH16/Coatesville-Riverhead Highway to make it safer for all users. We are constructing a shared path for walking and cycling between Brigham Creek and Kumeū to increase transport choice, this will include safe pedestrian crossing facilities.

Safety infrastructure

What safety improvements will be used along SH16 between Brigham Creek and Waimauku?

Safety improvement	Description
Road safety barriers	Road safety barriers give you a second chance, so a simple mistake doesn’t cost a life. Road safety barriers stop your vehicle before you hit something harder – like a tree, power pole, an oncoming vehicle or truck. Two types of road safety barriers will be used for the SH16 safety improvements: Median barriers will be installed down the middle of the road. W-Beam roadside barriers will be installed to replace the current roadside barriers as we are widening the road.
Median barriers	Median barriers prevent head-on crashes, which is how many people are killed or seriously injured on our roads. Median barriers stand between you and an oncoming car, truck or motorcycle. This means if someone loses control or drifts across the centreline, the result isn’t a head-on crash. We know median barriers down the centreline are very effective, because of the number of times they get hit. Every time this happens, a potentially fatal or serious crash has been prevented. Where there’s a median barrier, we try to leave gaps in the barriers and provide places to turn where we can, and where it’s safe. The SH16 safety improvements median barriers will be a flexible road safety barrier. When you hit a flexible road safety barrier, the high-tension wire cables flex, slowing your vehicle and keeping it upright. Flexible road safety barriers are designed to absorb the impact and protect you and others in the vehicle. They’re also designed so your vehicle is not deflected into another traffic lane. Median barriers reduce the number of overall deaths and serious injuries (DSIs) by 65 percent.* For more information: Flexible road safety barriers and turnaround bays(external link) Flexible road safety barriers information flyer(external link)
W-Beam roadside barriers	Roadside barriers ‘catch’ vehicles that leave the road, grabbing you before you hit something harder, like a pole, tree or ditch. We make space on road shoulders for people on bikes by widening the road where we can and setting barriers as far back as possible. We widen the road or put gaps in the barriers where we can, so people driving slower and agricultural vehicles can pull over. Roadside safety barriers at high-risk locations can reduce death and serious injuries by up to 30 percent.*
Flush medians	Flush medians, which are a safe area in the middle of the road, provide more room and a safe place to wait before you turn, while keeping traffic flowing. Separating the traffic this way has been proven to reduce DSIs by up to 35 percent.*
Road shoulder widening	A wide road shoulder provides space for cyclists, gives drivers more room to recover if they lose control and a safe place to stop in an emergency. This can reduce DSIs by up to 25 percent.*
Turnaround bays	Turnaround bays provide people driving, including in large vehicles, a place to turn safely. Benefits of turnaround bays include: an easier right-turn out of a side road or driveway, as you won’t need to navigate opposing lanes of traffic reducing the risk of a rear-end crash from someone driving behind a person turning right combining accessways and turning points at a safe location on the road providing an alternative location for people driving to safely stop, such as for maintenance and in an emergency.
Roundabouts	Roundabouts control the approach and circulating speeds at intersections, creating a safer traffic environment. Roundabouts can reduce DSIs by up to 75 percent.*

*Standard Safety Intervention Toolkit, published September 2021, Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency [PDF, 977 KB].

What is happening at Access, Tapu and Station Roads?

Upgrades at these intersections are being planned as part of the Huapai Triangle Special Housing Area by Auckland Transport.

Huapai Triangle Special Housing Area(external link)

Construction

How will this work get done?

We’ve split the project into two stages. Stage one runs from Huapai to Waimauku and stage two is between the Brigham Creek roundabout to Kumeū.

What section will you be doing first?

Half of the head-on crashes happened on the section between Huapai and Waimauku (Stage one). We have started on this stage, as the section requires the most urgent improvement to safety.

The design for Stage one (Huapai to Waimauku) was completed in 2019. Following our issue of a Notice of Requirement in 2020, there was an appeal to the Environment Court. The Environment Court hearing was held in August 2021 and in November 2022 a decision was released. The decision was ruled in our favour. The construction contract was then awarded to Fulton Hogan and work commenced in September 2023.

Walking and cycling

How will it be safer for people who walk or bike?

Between Huapai and Waimauku the safety improvements along this stretch of road include wider road shoulders. They are wider than the minimum standard to make it safer for people who walk or bike.

Between Brigham Creek and Kumeū there will be a shared path. This was consulted on with the community in 2018 and received wide support.

Read a summary of the feedback [PDF, 158 KB]

The roundabout will be designed to provide safe walking and cycling paths to circulate the roundabout, clear of traffic, and have designated safe crossing points through the islands.

The project team is also working to ensure safety improvements are designed to accommodate any future plans that support walking and cycling.

What side of the road will the shared path between Brigham Creek and Kumeū be?

The shared path will be on the southern side of SH16. This side allows for better and safer access into connecting facilities. This side also had less safety issues for people to navigate e.g. driveways and intersections.

View the project map [PDF, 1.2 MB]

Why is the shared path needed?

The addition of a dedicated shared path will provide people with greater choice in how they move about. It will make it safer for people walking and on bikes, as well as providing better and safer access to public transport. This will become even more important as the area continues to grow in the future.

During public consultation in 2018, 81% of people said they supported plans for a separated shared user path. This, along with the 2018 Government Policy Statement, led to the inclusion of the walking and cycling path between Brigham Creek roundabout and Kumeū. This increases the transport options available for people, benefits our environment, and it’s good for our health.

Pedestrian crossings

What will the pedestrian crossings look like and why are they needed?

For Stage two, crossing points near new and existing roundabouts between Brigham Creek and Taupaki are proposed, to enable people walking and cycling along the new shared path to safely cross the highway to access bus stops and other key destinations.

We have engaged a range of specialists and also an independent Road Safety Audit team to review the whole project including the crossings. Based on feedback and recommendation from these specialists the following crossings are included in the design:

Brigham Creek roundabout

Signalised crossing

Coatesville-Riverhead Hwy roundabout

Signalised crossing on a raised safety platform
Unsignalised crossing on a raised safety platform across Coatesville-Riverhead Hwy

Taupaki roundabout

Signalised crossing on a raised safety platform
Unsignalised crossing on a raised safety platform across Coatesville-Riverhead Hwy

We have put together an information sheet with more detail on the pedestrian crossings with maps, images and FAQs. It also includes the example of the Thomas/Gordonton intersection near Hamilton, where a raised safety platform has improved safety on a similar high-speed rural road.

Pedestrian crossing information sheet [PDF, 644 KB]

For Stage one, we are installing a pedestrian refuge island between Wintour Road and Factory Road to allow people to safely cross and access the existing bus stop. There will also be a new concrete footpath on the northern side of SH16 between the bus stop and crossing, and on the southern side at the corner of Wintour Road.

Why are you not installing pedestrian overbridges?

Between Brigham Creek to Kumeū we have considered a range of options to get people across the highway safely while balancing the movement of vehicles. The options considered include unsignalised, unraised crossings and grade separated alternatives such as an overbridge.

Grade separation (such as an overbridge or underbridge) would cost significantly more than a raised crossing with signals. Building 3 pedestrian bridges would create a larger footprint, which would require additional design work, property acquisition, earthworks and materials. There would also be more traffic disruption during construction. The height and span of any bridge would also need to account for oversized vehicles.

Will the pedestrian crossings cause more congestion?

We know that congestion is an issue along SH16 and can cause frustration for those who live and travel along the corridor every day. While it is important to maintain the flow of vehicles through this corridor, we also need to improve safety for all road users, especially those who are most vulnerable. As well as being tragic for all involved, crashes result in disruption to the network and add to congestion.

Traffic modelling has been undertaken and congestion issues have been considered as part of the design. Congestion resulting from the new signalised pedestrian crossings is heavily dependent on how many people are using the crossing at any one time. The raised safety platforms are not expected to disrupt the flow of traffic as vehicles will already be travelling at a reduced speed through the roundabouts.

Congestion/supporting growth

How will these improvements help with congestion?

This project is to improve safety along this section of state highway. The safety improvements will help to increase efficiency of the overall network by:

adding extra lanes between Brigham Creek Road and Taupaki
improving the SH16/Coatesville-Riverhead Highway intersection so traffic can flow better
putting in a flush median between the Taupaki roundabout and Kumeū so turning traffic can safely wait while allowing traffic to flow
building a shared path between Kumeū and Brigham Creek so people have alternative options on how they travel.

Why don’t you make it four lanes all the way to Kumeū?

Auckland Council, Auckland Transport and Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency are working together to investigate options to address future growth in Auckland’s North West.

Investigations have indicated an alternative route may be more effective in addressing the capacity issues for Kumeū-Huapai than four laning the existing SH16. Modelling has shown that with an alternative route, four laning past Taupaki is not required in the future.

When will you build the long-term projects?

Any future projects, such as an alternative route to SH16 and a new public transport network, need significant planning and consenting to be finished before any work can start.

You can learn more about the long-term programme of work by visiting Supporting Growth's Northwest Auckland page.

North West Auckland | Find Out More Supporting Growth NZ(external link)

Why don’t you put in a left turn slip lane at the new Coatesville-Riverhead Highway roundabout, for those coming from Coatesville and Riverhead?

A dedicated left turn slip lane on the Coatesville-Riverhead Highway approach to the roundabout was considered during the early stages of the project. This option was not progressed as it did not address the safety issues because slip lanes encourage merging at higher speeds. In this instance, it also makes it unsafe for pedestrians and cyclists who want to cross the roundabout. In order to incorporate a slip lane, the proposed roundabout footprint would have to be made larger to allow for vehicles to safely merge and provide adequate sight distance. An extensive amount of property would also be needed.

How will a roundabout help Coatesville-Riverhead people get out in the morning peak, when they will be needing to give way to the constant stream of traffic coming from Kumeū?

Our traffic team have undertaken modelling of the proposed roundabout to understand its performance. The modelling is a way to predict how the roundabout will function after it is built. The model findings showed the vehicle delays and queues, on all legs of the roundabout, would be acceptable. The approaches to the roundabout will be designed so drivers have to slow down, which in turn creates gaps in the flow of traffic, allowing other vehicles opportunities to enter the roundabout from adjacent approaches. Unlike the current intersection, there is no incentive for traffic coming from Kumeū to slow down or create safe gaps for those turning from the side road.

Property

How much land do you need to purchase?

We have planned our safety improvements so that we avoid the need to buy land where possible.

Stage one required strip acquisition, where we purchased small strips of land to allow us to widen the corridor to implement the safety improvements. We worked directly with impacted landowners through this process.

For Stage two will require some land. We are working directly with impacted landowners through this process.

How will I know if my land is affected?

Someone from our team has contacted every landowner whose property may be affected. This includes both landowners whose land might be needed for the project and landowners whose driveway access might be affected during construction.

We’ll also send out information to everyone along the road so that people know what’s happening and have the chance to talk with our team.

Where can I get more information if my land is affected?

We’ll talk to people whose land is affected about the process and their options once we’ve confirmed whether any of their land is needed. But if you do want to find out more, you can find information on the Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) website.

Land Information New Zealand (LINZ)(external link)

What happens if we have services located in the area of road works? Who will pay for the relocation of this?

You don’t need to worry about utilities like water pipes and power cables that the council or power company has put in within the road boundaries. If you have a utility that you’ve had put in yourself, then we might need to talk to you.

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