Monthly Archives: August 2021

SH1 Waikato Expressway overnight southbound lane closure at Ōhinewai

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Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency advises the southbound lane of State Highway 1 between Rangiriri and Ōhinewai will be closed overnight from this Sunday 8 August, between 7pm and 7am, for up to five nights, weather permitting.

While SH1 is closed, all southbound traffic will be detoured from Rangiriri interchange via local roads to the Glen Murray Bridge, southbound along Te Ōhākī Road and across the Tainui Bridge at Huntly.

Motorists are asked to take extra care when travelling along the detour route by following any temporary speed limits, signs and instructions from the traffic management team.

The Glen Murray bridge is single lane and weight restricted, heavy and oversized vehicles up to 44 Tonne can use the detour or an alternative route, such as State Highway 2 and State Highway 27. It is recommended vehicles over 44 tonnes avoid the detour and plan their journeys for outside the closure times. 

In the event of bad weather or other unforeseen circumstances, work may be postponed. Visit the Waka Kotahi Journey Planner website for up to date information on the road closure, detours, traffic, road works and delays.

Journey Planner

This closure is to allow 8.5km of temporary steel barriers to be installed so safety upgrade work can get underway. After the barriers have been installed along SH1, the southbound speed limit at Ōhinewai will be 70km/h while the team make the safety improvements to the state highway. This work is expected to take up to two months.

Waka Kotahi thanks motorists for their patience.

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Tākaka Hill highway, SH60, closures overnight next week for urgent repairs

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The closures start on Monday 9 August, from 9pm to 5am the next morning, and run right through the week to the following Sunday night, 15 August.

Urgent repairs are needed as a result of the storm damage in a number of places. 

Despite the recent damage, the Tākaka Hill repair team working on the five deep sites are aiming to have the highway back to two lanes by Christmas. The aim of the night closures is to ensure the work remains on track to achieve this, as well as for safety and to minimise daytime disruption to road users.

“Emergency services will be able to use the road at all times,” says Waka Kotahi Journey Manager Tresca Forrester.

A man in a digger doing emergency repairs on the road

Recent emergency repairs underway.

  • In the event of bad weather, these works will be carried out on the next fine night so check for updates or changes 
  • More night closures are programmed for culvert installations and pavement: from 23 August for seven nights and 6 September for seven nights. There may be one more in October. These works will take place in the live traffic lanes, so the road has to be closed for everyone’s safety.
  • If you are a night shift worker or must travel over the hill, please email email hidden; JavaScript is required or call Kane Reihana on 027 886 4508.
  • Latest newsletter on this project and photos after the recent slips

 

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2022 Genesis GV70

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2022 Hyundai Veloster N

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High winds impacting travel over Auckland Harbour Bridge

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Delays are expected for citybound traffic on SH1 over the bridge.

Safety is our priority and Waka Kotahi will not hesitate to fully close the bridge if that becomes necessary.

Motorists are urged to keep within their lane when crossing the bridge, drive to the conditions and look out for our electronic message boards which will indicate further lane closures and reduced speeds.

Wind speeds are currently gusting around 80km/h but metservice has indicated they could get as high as 110km/h throughout the morning.

With the wind gusts constantly changing drivers of high sided vehicles and motorcyclists are encouraged to avoid the bridge and use the Western Ring on State Highways 16 and 18.

Updates are being provided via the Waka Kotahi Twitter account. Road users should check this or our Journey Planner website before heading out. 

Waka Kotahi Auckland Twitter account

Journey Planner

Auckland Transport also advises that the high winds could cause delays or cancellations to public transport this morning. The best way to keep up to date is to follow the AT Travel Alerts on Twitter @AT_travelalerts for any changes to services.

AT Travel Alerts Twitter account

Road users should also be on the lookout for unexpected hazards with downed trees and powerlines affecting the wider transport network.

Waka Kotahi is actively monitoring the situation with maintenance crews out on the network ready to react.

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2022 Toyota Tacoma

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High winds forecast for Auckland Harbour Bridge tomorrow

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Metservice has issued a red alert with a front expected to cross Auckland around midnight bringing gale force southerlies which have the potential to affect travel over the Auckland Harbour Bridge (SH1) during the morning peak.

The forecast in the bridge area is for winds gusting 80-90 kph between midnight and 3am. From 3am to midday gusts could reach as high as 100 to 110km/hr, easing off for a time between 8am and 10am.

Waka Kotahi advises motorists to plan ahead by checking social media or our Journey Planner before heading out. Road users are also asked to keep within your lane when crossing the bridge, drive to the conditions and adhere to all posted speed limits.

Journey Planner

Auckland Transport also advises that the forecast high winds could cause delays or cancellations to public transport. The best way to keep up to date is to follow the AT Travel Alerts on Twitter @AT_travelalerts for any changes to services.

AT Travel Alerts Twitter account

Waka Kotahi will be actively monitoring the situation with maintenance crews out on the network ready to react if gusts reach the predicted level.

Updates will be provided as the situation unfolds on the Waka Kotahi Twitter account.

Waka Kotahi Auckland Twitter account

If the winds do arrive, drivers of high sided vehicles and motorcyclists are encouraged to avoid the bridge and use the Western Ring on State Highways 16 and 18.  

Safety is our priority and we will not hesitate to close the bridge if that becomes necessary.

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Safer highway speed limits for Milford Sound/Piopiotahi from next week

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The new speed limits will take effect from Wednesday, 11 August, says Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency.

“We want to prevent people being killed or seriously injured in crashes on this steep and challenging section of SH94,” says Waka Kotahi Director of Regional Relationships, James Caygill.

“No matter what causes a crash, speed is always a factor in the severity of  crash outcomes. No crash resulting in death or serious injury is acceptable, so it’s important we take every opportunity to address the risk,” he says.

The change is part of a Waka Kotahi initiative identifying highways where lower speed limits could make a big difference in saving people’s lives, and where communities are calling for change. Southland District Council and NZ Police both supported these safer permanent speed limits.

Consultation with iwi, the communities and business operators in Milford Sound/Piopiotahi and Te Anau, residents along the route, road users and stakeholders started about 18 months ago. 

The section of highway between the Homer Tunnel and Milford Sound/Piopiotahi is one of the most mountainous and challenging to drive between Te Anau and Milford Sound.

Between 2009 and 2018 there were 76 crashes between the eastern entrance of the Homer Tunnel and Milford Sound/Piopiotahi. These claimed three lives and seriously injured eight people. Around 40 percent of the 76 crashes occurred in the 2016 and 2018 period, when traffic volumes were high, driven by the pre COVID-19 tourism boom*.

The changes:

  • The current 100km/h speed limits on the eastern approach to the Homer Tunnel (1km) and western approach (2km) and through the Homer Tunnel (1.7km) will be replaced with a variable** 30-60km/h limit.
  • From the western approach of the Homer Tunnel to Milford Sound/Piopiotahi (14km) an 80km/h limit will replace the existing mix of 100km/h and 80km/h limits.
  • The current 30km/h limit in Milford Sound/Piopiotahi itself will be extended to the east of the Deep Basin Access Road by 500 metres, currently set at 80km/h.

There were 47 submissions received on the speed consultation proposal. These were analysed and considered alongside safety assessments.

“Consultation feedback showed broad but not unanimous support for lower speed limits,” says Mr Caygill. “Some of the submitters wanted other measures to improve safety including addressing dangerous driver behaviour, increased Police enforcement and providing more safe passing opportunities.

“As well as these speed changes, Waka Kotahi has made other major safety improvements over the last three years including bridge widening, safety barriers, and curve signage,” he says.

Confirmed speed limit changes for SH94 Homer Tunnel to Milford Sound/ Piopiotahi:

Location

Current speed limit

New speed limit

1km of highway east of the Homer Tunnel to the eastern tunnel entrance, through the Homer Tunnel (1.7km) and 2km of highway west of the Homer Tunnel to the western tunnel entrance.

100km/h

30-60km/h* variable speed limit

From the where the variable speed limit ends on the western approach to the Homer Tunnel for 14km to Milford Sound/Piopiotahi.

80/100km/h

80km/h

A 500m section of SH94 from Milford Sound/Piopiotahi to east of Deep Water Basin Road.

80km/h

30km/h

Map of new permanent speed limits:

Speed review outcome map showing new speed limits along SH94 between Homer tunnel to Milford Sound

* Before COVID-19, more than a million visitors a year travelled to Milford Sound/Piopiotahi. Between 2014 and 2018 there was a 35 percent rise in the average daily traffic counts on this route, with vehicle numbers per day rising from 670 in 2014 to 1040 in 2018.

**The variable speed limit will be used to safely manage highway issues including weather and rockfall events and vehicle crashes. Variable speed limit operating options are 30/40/60km/h.

 

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How safe is your next car? New safety rating labels have the answer to a life and death question

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The new labels from Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency show consumers how well vehicles will protect them in a crash, using a simple one to five-star safety rating.

The star ratings are based on laboratory crash-test results for new vehicles, and on analysis of 8 million real-world crashes for used imports.

“Evidence from crashes shows that people are more than twice as likely to survive a crash in a 5-star safety-rated car than in a 1-star car,” says Kane Patena, Director of Land Transport at Waka Kotahi.

“We want everyone to be able to choose the safest car they can afford, and these labels will help make that choice easier. Getting more Kiwis in to safer vehicles is a key part of New Zealand’s Road to Zero strategy, which is aiming to dramatically reduce deaths and serious injuries on our roads by 2030,” Mr Patena says.

Road to Zero

The safety rating labels are designed to be printed by motor vehicle dealers and displayed on cars for sale, providing consumers with simple, accurate and reliable information about a vehicle’s safety performance when they’re making their next purchase.

The safety rating label sits alongside the Vehicle Fuel Economy Label (VFEL), which is administered by EECA (Energy Efficiency & Conservation Authority). The VFEL must be displayed on all cars for sale by motor vehicle traders and informs customers of the fuel efficiency and estimated yearly fuel costs of the vehicle.

“EECA’s priority is to get Kiwi drivers in fuel-efficient, low emissions vehicles in order to improve energy efficiency and tackle our transport carbon emissions. But that can’t come at the expense of safety, so we’re pleased to be working alongside Waka Kotahi to help make the New Zealand fleet safer and cleaner,” EECA CEO Andrew Caseley says.

Now, when traders generate labels for their vehicles, they can automatically generate a safety label for display alongside the VFEL.

“This makes displaying a safety label as easy as possible for traders,” Caseley says, “so customers will have all the relevant information available at a glance.”

To print safety rating information for a vehicle, go to the label generator on EECA’s website

A women, man and child looking at the safety rating label on a car.

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Update – Edendale Wyndham Road re-open, Southland

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District:

Southern

Edendale Wyndham Road near Wyndham has re-opened following the serious single-vehicle crash which occurred at 6:25pm.

One person was transported to hospital with serious injuries.

An investigation into the circumstances of the crash is underway.

Police thank motorists for their patience while the road closure was in place. 

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre