Rumble strips and two flexible roadside barriers are being installed between Raglan and Waitetuna as part of works to improve road safety on State Highway 23.
Associate Transport Minister David Bennett was at Cogswell Rd on Thursday last week to announce that minor safety improvements on the highway were starting, and that more major works would get underway later this year, including shoulder widening, better signage and intersection improvements.
More pullover bays for slower drivers may also be built.
There were 391 crashes on the Raglan-Hamilton road between 2005 and 2015. Five people died and 64 were seriously injured.
“SH23 is an important road for local residents, commuters and tourists, along with cyclists and motorcyclists, and the number of motorists on the highway is increasing,” Mr Bennett says.
Stage one of improvements between Waitetuna and Raglan is estimated to cost about $9 million.
Construction of improvements between Hamilton and Highbrook Way is likely to begin in 2018, and will include widening centrelines and more safety barriers and rumble strips.
Options for the final section of the road – between Highbrook Way and Waitetuna – are still being considered.
“The community and others were asked for their view on the road, and the improvements being made won’t change the layout but they will make it a lot safer for all road users,” says Mr Bennett.
Wider shoulders and innovative safety rails will make the road safer for cyclists and motorcyclists.
“We know a lot of motorcyclists ride on this road, and the rails being added to some sections will make it a much safer journey for them,” Mr Bennett says.
