NZTA and Pūtiki group enhance pedestrian safety and flood protection on SH4

Fire services were called to flooding at Pūtiki Kindergarten in 2020. The Pūtiki Emergency Response Group is working to increase flood protection for the community. Photo / NZME

The Pūtiki Emergency Response Group and NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi are working together to increase the safety of crossings and flood protection in the Whanganui suburb.

The Pūtiki Emergency Response Group recommended NZTA make it safer for pedestrians to cross State Highway 4 Pūtiki Drive where the kaumātua flats and bus stops are near Kemp St.

NZTA regional manager of infrastructure delivery Rob Partridge said they were addressing this issue by installing a pedestrian refuge island in the middle of the road on SH4 to provide a place for people to wait while making a staged crossing of the road.

The work would include extending out the kerb on one side of the road and adding pram crossing points with tactile ground surface indicators.

As part of the project, a bus stop that could be used by school buses would be marked out on the side of the road near the kaumātua flats.

“We have constructed a new footpath to connect the kaumātua flats, bus stop and crossing point,” Partridge said.

“The new pedestrian safety measure, bus stop and proposed bus shelter will also provide the infrastructure for Pūtiki to connect to the public transport system in the future.”

A concrete pad had been added so a bus shelter could be installed in the future.

Partridge said safe and appropriate crossings were key elements in providing a connected network for pedestrians.

“We are happy to be working in collaboration with the project partners to achieve this in Pūtiki,” he said.

Additionally, the SH4 Pūtiki culvert project is proposed and planning is under way between NZTA, Horizons Regional Council, Pūtiki Hapū and Whanganui District Council.

The culvert replacement will mitigate the risks of future flooding events in the area.

In 2023, the Pūtiki Emergency Response Group was formed to address the regular flooding impacting the low-lying Whanganui community.

At the time, Tania Bailey told the district council that a 200-year flood would block off Pūtiki, SH3 and SH4.

“Civil defence will be stretched to capacity. Pūtiki needs its own emergency response,” she said.

Pūtiki Emergency Response Group member Kanui Cooper said the latest improvements came about to improve traffic management during a flood event and evacuation of the kaumātua flats.

“They form part of a range of initiatives driven by the local community that aim to improve safety for everyone – in particular kaumātua and tamariki," he said.

“The initiative not only improves safety, but it also strengthens connectedness to the community and to Whanganui as a whole.”

Work on the safer crossing in Pūtiki was almost complete, Partridge said.

Eva de Jong is a reporter for the Whanganui Chronicle covering health stories and general news. She began as a reporter in 2023.