Safety works for dangerous stretch of Waikato highway

Taupō's East Arterial route, a section of which is shown at its opening in 2010, bypasses the town's CBD.

Work will resume this month on a high-accident stretch of State Highway 1 at Taupō.

A 5km section of the East Taupō Arterial will have flexible safety barriers installed in a bid to curb the number of accidents. NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi said.

From January 15, there will be traffic management and speed restrictions around the site from Napier Road south to the Taupō Airport roundabout.

Work is expected to be completed by the middle of the year.

As part of the safety improvements, the road shoulder on the northbound lane will be widened by 1.5m to make room for the barrier installation.

Additionally, some northbound lane areas will receive side barriers and guardrails.

Earth bunds, about a metre high, will be built at sections where the shared walking and cycle path is exposed to state highway traffic.

Works on the Taupō East Arterial route have been completed in phases, with the latest to get underway this month.

This latest project is part of a wider $13 million scheme, which began in August 2020, to improve safety along the main route around Taupō.

“In the 10 years 2014-2023, six people were killed and four people were seriously injured on the 15km East Taupō Arterial, along with 23 minor and 58 non-injury crashes,” the Transport Agency said.

“The safety improvements will make the road more forgiving, with crashes less likely to result in deaths and serious injuries.

“Flexible safety barriers down the middle of a road prevent head-on collisions, and along the side of the road they help stop run-off-road crashes, catching vehicles before they hit something harder, like a pole, a tree or oncoming car.”

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