Highway blackspot upgrades en route

A proposal to address safety issues at a notorious north Taranaki intersection is on track to be publicly released next month.

Renewed calls for safety improvements at the Princess St and State Highway 3 intersection near Waitara were made over the weekend after a two-crash on Sunday morning. While nobody had been injured in that incident, the intersection had been the scene of fatal and other serious accidents in the past.

One remedy suggested recently by the public is the construction of a roundabout at the intersection.

The stretch of State Highway 3 between Bell Block and Waitara has been New Zealand Transport Agency’s (NZTA) radar for months after it hosted two public meetings in Taranaki this year to canvas ideas about safety improvements along the route.

Last year this section of State Highway 3 was also included in a $26 million government plan to improve the safety of 10 of the North Island’s worst carriageways.

NZTA regional transport systems manager Ross I’Anson said the agency was aware of the public concerns about the intersection.

‘‘We are working to progress improvements as quickly as possible,’’ he said.

He said it was acknowledged the stretch of highway between Bell Block and Waitara had a ‘‘poor crash history’’ and was already subject to an investigation in terms of what can be done in terms of safety improvements.

‘‘This work is in its final stages and we expect to begin public consultation in November on a preferred option, in terms of physical improvements, including proposed improvements at the Princess St intersection,’’ I’Anson said.