Revamp of Rangitata danger zone nears end
Work to install electronic signs slashing the speed limit at a dangerous South Canterbury intersection from 100kmh to 60kmh is finally underway.
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) are creating an ‘‘intersection speed zone’’ at Rangitata where State Highway 1 and SH79 meet, and expect it will be operational within weeks, about 21⁄2 years after it was originally earmarked for improvements.
‘‘By slowing down oncoming traffic, an intersection speed zone helps prevent crashes and reduces the risk of someone being killed or seriously injured if a crash does happen,’’ NZTA regional relationships director Jim Harland said.
When a vehicle on SH79 approaches the intersection and enters the zone, the speed limit on SH1 will temporarily reduce to 60kmh on an electronic sign.
Installation work began last weekend after being delayed because power poles needed to be removed and power lines added in order to service the intersection, Harland said.
The sign will be switched on once the underlying control equipment has been tested and the legal process for road signs completed, he said.
‘‘The intersection speed zone is part of a package of work that will make this intersection safer.’’
Multiple crashes and near-misses have plagued the intersection. In 2014, three tourists died after failing to stop and in April 2019, two people were critically injured after a collision between a car and truck.
After years of pleas from Rangitata residents to make the intersection safer, it was earmarked for improvements in December 2017.
The safety improvements began in 2019 when the crossing surface was made safer and barrier arms, lights, and bells were installed at the railway crossing near the intersection.
In May, the road shoulder around the intersection on SH1 was widened; an escape bay installed near the level crossing; and power poles were removed.
‘‘An escape bay is used where there is a risk of traffic backing up over a rail crossing, and gives drivers a space to move into if they get blocked in on the rail line,’’ Harland said.
‘‘A wider shoulder will give people more room to turn in and out of SH79, as it can be a tricky intersection with drivers turning onto or off a level crossing right beside a busy state highway.
‘‘Altogether, these improvements should remove some of the main risks with this intersection, helping to save lives,’’ he said.
The work is part of the $1.4 billion Safe Network Programme which makes safety improvements to roads, roadsides, and level crossings, and sets safe and appropriate speeds at high-risk routes across New Zealand.
‘‘These improvements should remove some of the main risks with this intersection, helping to save lives.’’
Jim Harland
NZTA spokesman