Safety upgrade concept plan ready for community feedback, Timaru to St Andrews

A mix of median and side barrier, turnaround facilities and two new roundabouts are recommended for the high-risk Timaru to St Andrews section of State Highway 1, says Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency.

In the past decade from 2013 and including 2023 to date, there have been five crashes which resulted in deaths and 16 which resulted in serious injury on this relatively short, 12.5km, stretch of highway.

The estimated $30 million worth of safety improvements* are part of the $2.9 billion Road to Zero programme, aimed at significantly reducing deaths and serious injuries across New Zealand through infrastructure safety improvements in addition to the introduction of safer speed limits as well as targeted Police enforcement of unsafe driving.

Waka Kotahi Director Regional Relationships James Caygill says the team is ready to share concept plans with the community – people who regularly use the road, who live nearby or have interests in the area.

“Hearing first-hand how people use the road helps us to refine the project design and ensure we develop the most appropriate safety solution for this 12.5 km stretch of highway.

“We’re keen to talk with people about how the safety upgrades will work and look at how we can smooth out travel and access for people. After that, we’ll get our team around the table again to consider whether the plan needs adjustments.

“These safety improvements are designed to significantly reduce harm to South Canterbury people and the many daily road users who travel south of Timaru. The purpose of getting community feedback is so the team can then go away and look at whether the balance is right between access and safety. Yes, some people will need to travel a bit further to be able to turn right onto the highway - maybe five minutes extra.

“How people driving agricultural vehicles will manage with median barrier installed is an area we need to canvas as widely as possible with the people affected. Once we have that feedback, we can look at refining the plan,” says Mr Caygill.

The community is invited to a drop-in session where people can pop in, see the plan and ask questions.

Project information is also available online at www.nzta.govt.nz/t2sa Please email feedback to t2sa@nzta.govt.nz by Sunday 28 May.

Community drop-in session information: Thursday 18 May, 3:30pm and 6:30pm - Pareora Country Club, 30 Queen St, Pareora.

The concept design features:

• Two new roundabouts suitable for heavy vehicles at Beaconsfield Road and Pooke Road. Roundabouts help to slow traffic, making it safer and easier to turn on and off the highway
• Installation of median barrier for most of the corridor, with breaks where appropriate
• Installation of side barrier along parts of the road to prevent run off road crashes
• New safe turning facilities, including two turnaround bays – one for northbound traffic north of Craigie Road and one for southbound traffic south of Bristol Road
• New U-turn facilities on Normanby Road and on Galletlys Road for both directions of traffic
• Construction of right-turn bays at Pareora River Road, Galletlys Road and Lyall Road intersections.

View larger map [PDF, 1.2 MB]

Distances between proposed turning facilities

• SH1/ Beaconsfield roundabout to Normandy Road turnaround facility – 3.6km
• Normandy Road turnaround facility to turnaround facility south of Bristol Road – 2.8km
• Turnaround facility south of Bristol Road to Pooke Road roundabout – 2.3km
• Pooke Road roundabout to Galletlys Road turnaround facility – 2.8km

Project timeline – next steps

• March – June 2023: Gathering and considering community feedback and finalising the design.
• June – July 2023: Consents and approvals sought from Councils. Applying for construction funding.
• 2024: Construction is anticipated to begin, subject to funding and timing.

*Construction costs only