We’re making State Highway 1 between Piarere and Taupō safer for everyone. This project is part of Road to Zero, New Zealand’s road safety strategy.
We’re making the 93km of State Highway 1 between Piarere and Taupō safer for everyone. This project is part of Road to Zero – NZ’s road safety strategy.
Road to Zero – NZ’s road safety strategy
These upgrades mean the road is more forgiving if someone makes a mistake, with crashes less likely to result in death or serious injury.
We prioritised two high-risk sections of SH1 at Ātiamuri to upgrade first:
Further north, we are prioritising making safety improvements between Piarere and Tirau. We under way with detailed and community engagement.
Opportunities for safety improvements on the rest of SH1 Piarere to Taupō will be investigated and constructed if and when funding becomes available.
To make this stretch of SH1 safer we are:
Where we propose roadside barriers, we generally widen the road and leave gaps at intersections and other locations where it is safe to do so. This provides places to pull over if there is a breakdown or emergency. The gaps in the median barriers (where needed) provide places to turn right where it makes the most sense – and where it is safe – to do so.
Within the sections planned for improvement between Piarere and Tirau, we are looking to provide right-turn opportunities at intersections with local roads. We know there are many different access needs for properties and are mindful to plan for residents, local businesses, trucking, and agricultural vehicle movements.
Where there is median barrier, some people will need to travel just a little further to turn right onto the highway. New turnaround bays and roundabout will make it safer to get onto the highway.
CloseWe are also working on a number of safety and infrastructure improvements for the region. Find out more: