Ā tiamuri road fix on home run
There will be no work on Labour Weekend
Completion work is under way on a safety improvement project on State Highway 1 south of Ā tiamuri, and Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency has advised travellers to factor in extra time for their journeys.
Flexible safety barriers are in place along a 4.5km stretch of highway, but finishing works are required, including the application of a second coat of seal and repairs to areas that didn’t achieve appropriate quality standards last construction season.
To minimise further inconvenience, Waka Kotahi said it was undertaking other maintenance works scheduled for this construction season at the same time. The work started on Monday and will be completed before Christmas.
Traffic is passing through the site under stop-go from 7am to 5pm on weekdays, along with a 50km/h speed restriction. The estimated delay is five minutes. There will be no work over Labour Weekend.
There is another similar stop-go site further south at Oruanui, where road repairs are expected to be complete by late October.
The Ā tiamuri works are part of a corridor-long project to improve safety between Piarere and Taupō.
Flexible safety barriers will be installed along a nearby section of State Highway 1 starting from the Waikato River bridge south for 6.9km. Construction works are underway behind temporary steel barriers with a speed restriction of 50km/h.
“We have identified several stretches of the 93km between Piarere and Taupō that can be made safer through road widening and the installation of flexible safety barriers,” said Waka Kotahi regional manager for infrastructure delivery Jo Wilton.
“These upgrades mean the road is more forgiving if someone makes a mistake, with crashes less likely to result in death or serious injury.”
Opportunities for further safety improvements will be investigated and constructed as funding becomes available.