Dangerous crossing to get $9m upgrade

Napier City Council has approved funding for an upgrade of the intersection of Meeanee Quay and State Highway 2. Photo / Paul Taylor

A Napier intersection where one person has died and three others been seriously injured in the past year will be given an upgrade.

A $9 million construction on the notorious State Highway 2 intersection between Hawke's Bay Airport and Meeanee Quay is expected to begin in October, to be completed in March next year.

At a Napier City Council meeting yesterday recommendations for the project to go ahead, including $2 million funding from the council, were approved.

The current intersection layout mixes traffic from the expressway, SH2 and the airport, with a high volume to and from Napier Port, placing the intersection among the top 10 high-risk rural intersections in New Zealand.

In September, a tourist was killed after being hit by a vehicle while trying to cross the stretch with his bicycle.

A month earlier, three people were seriously hurt when the car they were travelling in collided with a truck.

The project to address the safety risk of the layout was a partnership between the council, the NZ Transport Agency and Hawke's Bay Airport Ltd.

In his report to the council, director of infrastructure Jon Kingsford stated the driving environment associated with the intersection was unsafe and resulted in motorists taking more risk than deemed appropriate.

"The current layout has resulted in recent fatalities and to do nothing is not an option," the report stated.

The design incorporated SH2 with local roads, including Meeanee Quay and Watchman Rd, using a roundabout.

A widening of Watchman Rd, and new road within the airport, would deliver significant improvements to motorists.

The council also approved the procurement of physical works for the project, and land purchase.

Councillor Maxine Boag added another recommendation - that the council's support of the project was subject to environmental issues raised in the resource consenting process being adequately addressed.

She said she was concerned there was no mention in the report of the plan's "further intrusion" into the Ahuriri estuary.

Mr Kingsford said an assessment plan of environmental effects would be undertaken once the project design was finalised.

Councillor Mark Herbert said while nobody wanted to see new roads built through ponds, that had to be weighed with the loss and maiming of human life on the existing road.

"This is just an absolute must, and the sooner it happens the better," he said.

The $2 million approved yesterday was the council's share of the project's estimated cost of $9 million, with an additional $1.5 million from Hawke's Bay Airport Ltd, and remainder from NZTA.

The council would provide $1 million through existing budget allowances resulting in no additional cost to ratepayers, with a NZTA subsidy providing the rest.