A new roundabout and shared user path have been constructed as part of a package of safety improvements for SH1/SH3 between Bulls and Sanson. This project has made this busy stretch of road safer for everyone who uses it.
We’ve made the State Highway 1 and State Highway 3 corridor between Bulls to Sanson safer for everyone who uses it. SH1/SH3 is a vital link to the central and lower North Island. Around 15,000 vehicles use it every day.
As part of our safety improvement project, a new permanent roundabout has been constructed at the Pukenui Road and SH1/SH3 intersection outside RNZAF Base Ohakea.
A shared user path for pedestrians and cyclists has been built alongside the state highway, between Pukenui Road and Tangimoana Road. This path has improved safety and connectivity between Bulls and Base Ohakea. Flexible median barrier has been installed along this short section of road.
Construction took place between May 2023 and December 2024 and is now complete.
Between 2013 and 2022, there were 97 crashes on this 6.4km stretch of road, resulting in 13 people being seriously injured and 32 receiving minor injuries.
The new roundabout is three-armed and double-laned. There are 2 approach (turning) lanes from each direction, with two straight lanes in both directions of travel along the state highway. The turning lanes allow for people turning in and out of Pukenui Road to do so safely. Having straight lanes allows for a steady and continuous flow of traffic along SH1/SH3 between Bulls and Sanson.
We chose to build a roundabout in this area because it’s a safer form of intersection control compared to most other intersection types. Roundabouts reduce speeds and make it easier for you to choose the right time to enter flowing traffic.
A roundabout at this location has made the intersection safer and reduced delays to vehicles coming out of Pukenui Road. It also allows trucks to safely enter Pukenui Road from both directions and access the new Ohakea Commercial Vehicle Safety Centre (CVSC). Construction on the CVSC began in late 2023 and the new facility opened in May 2025.
Ohakea commercial vehicle safety centre (CVSC)
As part of this safety improvement project, lighting has been upgraded at the roundabout, and the intersection of the state highway and Wightman Road has been upgraded to make it safer for turning traffic.
Roadside safety barrier was installed between the shared user path and the northbound lane. A short section of flexible median barrier was installed between the northern end of the new roundabout and ending before the turn into Wightman Road, separating the northbound and southbound lanes. This is 837 metres of flexible median barrier, including a short section just south of the roundabout. We expect the number of pedestrians and cyclists travelling on the side of the state highway will have increased following the construction of the path. Barriers will protect people using the shared user path and prevent head on crashes on this section of road.
About flexible road safety barriers
Permanent roundabout design.
