Highway speed limit set

A de facto state highway connecting the eastern and western sides of the North Island is set to have a maximum speed limit of 60kmh. The New Zealand Transport Agency has been consulting since July on the speed limit for Saddle Rd. The road is effectively State Highway 3 between Ashhurst and Woodville, with landslips rendering the usual highway through the Manawatu¯ Gorge unpassable since 2017. The two roads are different, though. While the Gorge is on flat ground, the Saddle Rd goes up and down the Ruahine Range. The Saddle Rd had been a 100kmh zone but dropped to 80kmh – with a 60kmh zone near the top – when the gorge closed.