Waka Kotahi are prioritising infrastructure changes aimed at improving safety on SH1 between Taupō Airport and Hātepe. Our team are working to understand the feasibility of the project design and once we know more, we will seek public feedback.
From mid 2023, we will be working with hapū to develop a Cultural Impact Assessment. A Cultural Impact Assessment is a report that documents Māori cultural values, interests and relationships with an area and manages any impacts.
Between 2009 and 2023, seven people were killed and twenty-three people were seriously injured in crashes on SH1 between Taupō Airport and Hātepe.
In 2020, we reviewed speed limits between Taupō and Turangi and new permanent speed limits are now in effect in some sections along the route. Through consultation, the community told us they wanted to maintain the existing 100km/hr limit between Taupō Airport and Hātepe.
We committed to investigating infrastructure improvements that would improve safety on sections between Taupō Airport and Hātepe to reduce the likelihood of serious crashes causing deaths and serious injuries.
The project is focused on safety improvements including:
Flexible road safety barriers save lives and reduce the number of people seriously injured. They give you a second chance, so a simple mistake doesn’t cost a life. When they’re installed on the side and in the centre of the road, they can reduce the number of people killed.
When you hit a flexible barrier, the steel cables flex, slowing your vehicle and keeping it upright. They absorb the impact and help protect you and your passengers.
| Date | Activity | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Late 2019 | Speed review and formal consultation | Completed |
| 2021 | Speed review – new speeds introduced | Completed |
| 2021/2022 | Safety improvements investigations and speaking with those that could be directly affected | Completed |
| Mid-2023 to mid-2024 | Cultural impact assessment | We are here |
Between 2009 and 2023, seven people died and twenty-three people were seriously injured in crashes between Taupō airport and Hātepe. The purpose of the improvements is to improve the safety of State Highway 1 between Taupō and Hātepe and give someone you love a second chance to come home safely.
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In 2020, we reviewed speed limits between Taupō and Turangi. New permanent speed limits are now in effect in some sections along the route.
Through our consultation, the community told us they wanted to maintain the existing 100km/hr limit in some sections including this one. The purpose of the median barriers between Taupō Airport and Hātepe to reduce the likelihood of serious crashes causing deaths and serious injuries.
CloseWide centrelines (two lines marked in the centre of the road) provide more separation for opposing traffic than standard centreline markings. We’ll also be installing Audio tactile profiled markings, commonly known as rumble strips, to help prevent drivers from running off the road or straying across the centreline. Both help reduce the likelihood of head-on crashes. Designs will allow for the installation of a flexible median barrier to further reduce deaths and serious injuries.
CloseWire rope barriers, or flexible safety barriers prevent head on crashes and reduce the number of loss-of-control crashes. These barriers catch people before they hit something harder like a tree or pole. When a car hits a barrier, the steel cables flex and absorb the impact, slowing the vehicle and keeping it upright. Barriers on our roads have resulted in a marked decrease in deaths and a reduced risk of serious injuries.
CloseRight now, close to $3.6m in funding has been secured to design safety improvements between Taupō Airport and Hātepe.
Funding to construct the recommended designs will then be sought through the National Land Transport Programme (NLTP). How much funding is required for construction will depend on the final designs.
CloseThe design may impact on several private properties. We are currently talking with and will continue to talk with those that could be directly impacted throughout the design process.
CloseMotorcyclists run a greater risk of being injured on the road. They are more vulnerable, and our roads can be unforgiving.
The presence of road safety barriers, especially flexible barriers, reduces the number of people motorcycling killed and injured by around 50 percent. Barriers between lanes stop a driver’s mistake from becoming a rider’s nightmare.
They can also stop you ending up in the path of oncoming traffic if you do come off your motorcycle or if someone else makes a mistake.
CloseWe’ll confirm the design of the safe turning opportunities once we’ve undertaken engagement with landowners, stakeholders and residents. We are investigating turning opportunities to allow enough room for heavy vehicles to safely perform a U-turn. Our goal is to create turnaround facilities that you access by turning off State Highway 1; that allows following traffic to keep moving.
CloseIn 2020, we reviewed speed limits between Taupō and Turangi. New permanent speed limits are now in effect in some sections along the route. Through the interim national speed review process, we are seeking to modify speed areas several hundred metres North and South of Waitahanui.
Through our consultation, the community told us they wanted to maintain the existing 100km/hr limit north and south of Waitahanui. The purpose of centreline widening and median barriers, between Taupō Airport and Hātepe, is to reduce the likelihood of serious crashes causing deaths and serious injuries.
If deaths and serious injuries continue in future, we may need other interventions including a further review the speed limits.
CloseWe are also working on a number of safety and infrastructure improvements in and around the Taupō region. Find out more:
