SH73/Weedons Ross Road intersection looking north

What's coming up

Kia ora 

We're well into the year and would like to let you know what's coming up, both in the next couple of weeks but also in the coming weeks as we head toward completion of the project.

We'll also recap on the work that's been done this year.

But firstly, we would like to thank you again for your ongoing patience and understanding. We know work we've done this year has been disruptive however, the end is in sight.

Ngā mihi (Kind regards)

The project team

Night work and road closures from Sunday 26 February to Friday 3 March

Between 7pm and 6am from Sunday 26 February to Friday 3 March, we will be doing the final asphalt surfacing across the entire work site.

This work requires consecutive road closures (see map below).

When we are working on SH73 West Coast Road, traffic on the highway will need to be reduced to one lane. This will be controlled by temporary traffic lights.

The work is being undertaken at night when traffic volumes are lower to minimise congestion and disruption. It is also safer for our work crews and road users.

Traffic and pedestrian impacts:
Work will start at 7pm, preparing for the road closures at 8pm. 

Please use the signposted detour routes.

SH73 West Coast Road will be controlled by temporary traffic lights during these works.
Please look out for our staff and follow their instructions. Footpath access around our work site will be maintained.

Also, please look out for changes in traffic management and follow signs on site. A 30kph speed limit will be in place.

Night works and what to expect
The crew need lights to see what they are working on so you may notice extra light in the area. There will be unavoidable noise from trucks, machinery and the crew.

We know that night works are more disruptive to residents. Our team will limit the disruption as much as possible. We will aim to carry out the noisiest work early in the shift and we will complete the work as quickly as we can.

Driveway access
Access to properties will be maintained. However, we may need to work in front of driveways from time to time. If you need to get in or out of your property and we are in the way, please just talk to one of our friendly staff and we will make sure you can use your driveway.

The coming weeks leading up to completion

We have line marking to paint and signage to put up across the work site.

We'll also be constructing the West Melton Road cul-de-sac and footpath. 

The most technical piece of work is the installation of the controlling equipment associated with the traffic lights followed by the commissioning of the traffic lights. This is when we check and test the operation of the lights.

This is all scheduled to be completed by the end of March/early April - earlier than originally advised.

Landscape planting will be undertaken during the winter this year, to give the planting the best chance to successfully establish rather than planting over summer.

The new traffic lights and phasing

There has been interest in the phasing of the traffic lights.

Each leg of the intersection will have a dedicated right turn bay.  All the right turns except for the right turn from Weedons Ross Road (north) on to SH73 will have what we call ‘filtered’ turns.

The right turn from Weedons Ross Road (north) on to SH73 will have a green arrow movement while the other three will ‘filter’ through oncoming straight through traffic. 

The green arrow provided for Weedons Ross Road (north) is to mitigate a safety concern arising from the alignment of Weedons Ross Road (south) to the intersection, and the potential for straight through northbound traffic to be hidden by queuing right turners.

For traffic turning right onto the state highway from Weedons Ross Road (south), the phase immediately before their green light allows straight through traffic from Weedons Ross Road (north) to go first, making the ‘filter’ right turn easier.

Any lighting design is a compromise between the competing demands of safety and the need to minimise delays. The more phases you have at a set of lights the more delay for every movement and with the volumes on the state highway the number of phases must be kept to the minimum to prevent major queuing on the state highway. We have also provided for pedestrians crossing at the intersection.

Further green arrows can be added in the future if turning traffic volumes warrant it. The peak hourly volume for turning traffic that would trigger this is 180 vehicles per hour, which is significantly more than any current turning traffic volume at this intersection.

Once working, the new lights will need time to ‘learn’ the particular traffic demands at the intersection and optimise the phasing timings which may result in minor tweaks.

Overview of work to date this year

The year kicked off with the rebuild of the SH73/Weedons Ross Road (south) intersection. This involved substantial excavation and construction of new road pavement (see 'during construction' and 'after construction' photographs below).

This was followed by construction of the new roundabout on Weedons Ross Road at the intersection of Kingsdowne Drive and the new link road.

Other work has included:

• the completion of storm water basins across the project area
• footpath construction along SH73 east of the intersection with Weedons Ross Road
• building the traffic islands on SH73
• installing the traffic light poles and lanterns
• street lighting
• signage
• widening and reconstruction of SH73 to the east of the intersection
• road construction on Weedons Ross Road south, the link and West Melton Road.

More information

For more information about the West Melton intersection improvements project, visit our website: www.nzta.govt.nz/wmwr

or email us at West.Melton@nzta.govt.nz