State Highway 51 plan revised to avoid further highway chaos south of Napier

The proposed new roundabout at Awatoto Rd and State Highway 51, south of Napier city, has been delayed as drivers fear even more congestion. Photo / Warren Buckland

Government highways management agency Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency is expecting minimal to no impact on peak traffic flows on State Highway 51 as it starts road safety improvements in the area next week.

In the planning stage for several years, and originally intended to start about the time Cyclone Gabrielle hit Hawke’s Bay in February, the $20 million project, which covers the road from the highway’s intersection with Ellison St and Marine Parade to the Ngaruroro River Bridge, will eventually include the installation of a roundabout at the intersection of SH51 and Awatoto Rd.

It’s possible installation of a temporary roundabout scheduled for the first stage won’t happen, although the permanent installation is still scheduled for next year, and taking notice of peak-traffic congestion on SH51 and the Hawke’s Bay Expressway, Waka Kotahi hopes to keep two lanes flowing and is limiting work for the period from 9am to 4pm.

Motorists worried about the peak-hours congestion of traffic on SH51 and the Hawke’s Bay Expressway since the number of Napier-Hastings routes was cut from four to two due to two bridge collapses during the cyclone over February 13-14 have criticised the agency for the timing of the upgrade’s start.

“With this in mind, the SH51 project has been updated to focus firstly on the installation of flexible and side median barriers from next Monday between Awatoto and Waitangi Roads,” Waka Kotahi said in a statement to Hawke’s Bay Today.

“We have taken on board feedback from the community and will be monitoring peak traffic flows while the barriers are being installed to enable planning for future phases, including the possibility of a temporary roundabout,” it said.

The location plan for the first stage of the State Highway 51 safety improvements programme which starts on Monday, south of Awatoto Rd. Image / Waka Kotahi NZTA

Senior project manager Jacob Laird said Waka Kotahi wants to minimise any potential disruption to traffic while the safety improvements project is being carried out.

Because of the width of the highway, it expects two lanes of traffic will be able to be kept open with minimal impact on traffic flow.

But, during the stage expected to be completed by late July, traffic management will be in place, with crews working between 9am and 4pm Monday to Friday.

It’s the first stage of a $20 million upgrade of SH51 from the intersection of Ellison St at the southern end of Marine Pde and the Ngaruroro River bridge, between Awatoto and Clive, reported last November to be part of the $2.9 billion Road to Zero programme, based on a vision of a New Zealand where no one is killed or seriously injured in road crashes.