New Ōhakea roundabout in full use
The new roundabout outside the Ōhakea air force base in Manawatū is now in use around the clock.
Construction on the new roundabout on SH3 near Bulls is ahead of schedule.
Over the past four weeks, crews have been working overnight to align the new roundabout to the existing state highway. Stormwater drainage, new kerbs, median islands and street light installation have also been done.
While daytime traffic has been using the roundabout since February, the section of SH3 outside Base Ōhakea has been closed at night, with all traffic detoured, so work could be done on the site.
From Monday, the roundabout will be open 24/7 and the night-time closure and detour will no longer be in place.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi regional manager of infrastructure delivery Rob Partridge said crews were ahead of schedule as the roundabout nears completion, but there’s still plenty of work to be done on the shared user path ahead of the August completion date.
“We’re asking motorists to continue planning their journey for a while longer, expect more temporary traffic management and to drive carefully through our work site.”
The roundabout is temporarily operating as a single lane with a 30kph temporary speed limit.
It will eventually be marked to have two lanes in both directions, including turning lanes in and out of Pukenui Rd into Ōhakea.
Crews are now moving back to daytime works and will continue construction on the other safety improvements, such as building the shared user path on the western side of the state highway between Tangimoana and Pukenui roads.
A roadside safety barrier will be installed between the path and the northbound lane, and about 700m of flexible median barrier is being installed north of the new roundabout to the intersection of Wightman Rd.
The number of pedestrians and cyclists travelling on the side of the state highway is expected to increase following the construction of the path.
Next month, crews will do two to three nights of final asphalting works, and traffic management is likely.