A programme of works between Saltwater Creek (north of the Ashley River) and Christchurch continues to improve the safety and resilience of the corridor as well as increasing transport choice for the area’s growing population.
State Highway 1 (SH1) is the main road into Christchurch and is an important link for people driving to work, local businesses and freight. This road is becoming busier as more people make Waimakariri district their home.
The range of safety improvements being designed and constructed on SH1 in North Canterbury will help New Zealand achieve its Road to Zero target of 40% fewer deaths and serious injuries on our roads by 2030.
Delivering safety improvements in speed and infrastructure is an important part of Road to Zero, Aotearoa New Zealand’s road safety strategy.
People make mistakes, and by making safety improvements and reducing speed we can save lives and prevent serious injuries on our roads.
The 11.4km stretch of SH1 between Saltwater Creek and the Cam River is assessed as a high-risk section of highway, with high traffic volumes and speeds combining in some areas.
Five people were killed and 30 seriously injured in the 75 recorded crashes on this stretch of road between 2011 and 2020*.
Too many of these deaths and serious injuries were caused by head-on crashes.
While we can’t remove every hazard, we can put in place effective measures that will make SH1 in North Canterbury safer for everyone who uses the road.
These include wide centrelines, flexible median safety barriers, and improvements at intersections such as traffic lights, roundabouts or left-in/left-out access to the highway.
Our planned safety improvements
* Data from the Crash Analysis System over the period 2011-2020.
Waimakariri District Council is to receive $6 million from the Transport Choices package announced by the Minister of Transport, the Hon Michael Wood in early December 2022. The funding is to create cycle and shared paths for students to get to and from school, and safe cycleways between key centres like Pegasus, Woodend, and Kaiapoi.
The funding is indicative at this stage and Waka Kotahi will work with the Council to further scope these projects before moving to the design and build phases.
Read more about the Transport Choices programme
Read the media release from Associate Minister of Transport Kieran McAnulty (7 December 2022) about this funding and the road safety improvements proposed for SH1 Saltwater Creek to Cam River:
Government delivers safer roads for Waimakariri(external link)
To ensure our transport system protects and helps us get to the places and people important to us, we’re delivering an Interim State Highway Speed Management Plan. Locations in North Canterbury include the Pegasus roundabout and Amberley south.
More information(external link)
Consultation closed on Monday 12 December 2022.
Our 'safety toolkit'
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Looking ahead