Subj : Ashburton Mayor delighted with abandoned SH1 median barriers
To   : All
From : News
Date : Thu Apr 11 2024 12:14 pm

Ashburton's mayor is celebrating NZTA abandoning plans to install median
barriers on State Highway 1 between Ashburton and Rakaia.


Median barriers have been proposed along SH1 from Ashburton to Rolleston
since 2021.


An NZTA spokesperson said the change was in response to government priorities
outlined in the draft Government Policy Statement on land transport.


It's a decision that has pleased Ashburton Mayor Neil Brown, who has long
voiced his opposition to the "wire ropes down the middle of the road".


Brown met with NZTA representatives earlier this week and was informed that
the median barriers would not be happening.


"They'll be looking at putting in the wider median strips instead. It's a
good common sense approach to it and I'm happy they are going to do that.


"They have some in already at Hinds, following a recent upgrade, and it looks
good."


In August last year, NZTA's relationship manager James Caygill had discussed
with the Ashburton District Council how the SH1 improvement plan was focusing
on widening the existing road corridor as the first step, and then adding
median barriers if required.


A change of government has caused a change in direction.


Rangitata MP James Meager and Waitaki MP Miles Anderson had written to
Transport Minister Simeon Brown on March 23 regarding the median barriers.


Brown responded on Monday informing them that, following a review, it had
been determined that the Rakaia to Ashburton and the Timaru to St Andrews
sections would no longer progress.


"These safety improvements projects will now progress with lower cost safety
interventions, including wide centre lines, road widening and resurfacing,"
Brown said.


Meager said the wire median barriers were "unnecessarily costly and didn't
address what the local community saw as the main safety improvements needed
on our roads".


"Widening roads and introducing painted medians seem like sensible
approaches, giving separation of the traffic without blocking agricultural
equipment, emergency services or requiring long, and unproductive detours."


NZTA was planning to widen SH1 where possible from the Rakaia River Bridge to
Ashburton, with the aim of 11.5 metres side to side, increased from the
existing 7.5m-9.5m.


LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.

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