SH3 upgrade suggestions
Reduce the speed limit, remove right hand turns, and add more roundabouts.
These are some of the changes the New Zealand Transport Agency is considering to improve driver safety on one of Taranaki’s worst stretches of road.
More than seven people have been killed and more than 11 seriously injured on State Highway 3 between Bell Block and Waitara since 2007.
The agency plans to spend $8.7 million from 2019 on Henwood Rd to Airport Dr, Airport Dr to SH3A, and SH3A to Bayley St, Waitara.
The proposed improvements include no right hand turns onto SH3 from Mahoetahi Rd, Richmond Rd, Nelson St, Mamaku Rd and Bayley Rd.
As many as four roundabouts Airport Dr, Mountain Rd, Tate Rd, and Princess St - have also been proposed, together with lowering the speed limit to 80kmh for the entire 15 kilometre section, wire rope barriers, wider road shoulders and removing a passing bay on Big Jim’s Hill, near Waitara.
The proposals have attracted a good amount of feedback with public responding online to the NZTA website, a letterbox drop, and two public open days at Waitara and Bell Block.
A hundred comments were posted online after the first two days.
Resident Alistair Murray supported bringing the speed limit down to 80kmh for the entire stretch of road.
‘‘Some won’t like it but how much time do you save if it goes to 100kmh? Not a lot.’’
Transport operator Peter Sole, who has lived on Mahoetahi Rd for the past 64 years, said he was not in favour of enforcing a ‘no right turn’ onto SH3.
He said they would prefer a wider turning bay so they can still turn right instead of having to travel two kilometres to turn around at a proposed roundabout on Tate Rd.