SH57 safety improvements well under way

The NZ Transport Agency is making good progress on work to help prevent deaths and serious injuries on State Highway 57 between State Highway 1 and Levin.

Regional transport systems manager Ross I’Anson says work on this stretch of road has gone well and roadside barriers are now in place.

“Our next step will be to put in rumble strips and wide centrelines along some sections of the road. Because warmer weather is needed to carry out this work, our contractors will be back to do this in October,” Mr I’Anson says.

Rumble strips and wide centrelines are simple measures that can make a real difference in reducing the number of crashes and preventing deaths and serious injuries on our roads.

More space between lanes can reduce serious crashes by up to 20 per cent, while rumble strips have been found to reduce all crashes by around 25 per cent and fatal run-off-road crashes by up to 42 per cent.

“We’re also looking at what we can do to make the road around the Garden of York entranceway safer. The number of people on this road is increasing and so is the number of people using this entranceway. We’re investigating a turning bay and changes to the entranceway that would make it easier to see other cars when turning in or out.”

Work on this section of SH57 should be completed by the end of 2018.

“We’ve really appreciated people’s co-operation while this work is under way — both the people living along this road and those using it have been very patient. We’ll do our best to minimise any disruption while the rest of the work is completed,” Mr I’Anson says.

More information about this project is available at: https:/ /www.nzta.govt.nz/projects/ sh57-sh1-to-shannon/