SH1 SH88 Dunedin safety improvements

Project update

2 July 2025

Have your say on access to and around Dunedin's new hospital

We’ve developed a proposal to reshape transport around SH1 Cumberland Street and SH88 St Andrew Street. These changes aim to make it safer and easier for everyone, including emergency services, to reach the hospital, improve connections with the central city, and keep SH1 running smoothly and efficiently.

With thousands expected to walk between the hospital’s inpatient and outpatient buildings daily, we’re rethinking how SH88 St Andrew Street works. Our goal is a safer, more welcoming space that supports easy access for everyone, from emergency services to whānau dropping off loved ones, while keeping the city moving.

From today, we’re inviting feedback on our preferred option to help shape how people move through this part of Dunedin as the city prepares for its new hospital.

To see our plans in more detail you can visit our website and then you can use our online feedback form to tell us what you think.

Key proposed safety improvements

Here are a few of the changes we are proposing for this area. You can find more information about these changes on the project website.

• New Barnes Dance crossing (where all pedestrians cross the road at once) at the SH88 St Andrew Street/ SH1 Cumberland Street intersection to help people reach the main new hospital public entrances safely.

• Remove the westbound right turn from SH88 St Andrew Street onto SH1 Cumberland Street to make space and time for the increased number of pedestrians, including people with mobility needs, to cross the road.

• Two new signalised pedestrian crossings on SH1 outside the Woolworths and the Centre City New World supermarkets.

• Changes to St Andrew Street and other nearby streets to help people driving, walking and cycling, and emergency vehicles, move safely and smoothly around the hospital and surrounding area.

• Left in and left out only turns are proposed to increase safety at the St Andrew/Leith Street and Frederick/Leith Street intersections.

• Move SH88 from St Andrew to Frederick Street.

Getting used to new ways of moving

Some of the proposed changes will mean road users need to adjust their travel habits, but the changes are designed to make things safer and more efficient for everyone accessing the hospital area.

One key change is the removal of the westbound right turn from St Andrew Street onto SH1, which allows more time for pedestrians, many with mobility needs, to cross safely and helps maintain traffic flow. To support the transition, clear signage and guidance will be in place to minimise confusion. Light vehicles will be redirected via Hanover and Frederick streets, while larger trucks are expected to use Ward Street and the overbridge. These routes can handle the change in traffic, and travel times are not expected to change significantly.

You can find more information and have your say on these changes by visiting our project website.

Next steps

These proposed changes are about more than just roads, they’re about creating a safer, more connected central Dunedin that supports the city’s new hospital and the people who rely on it.

We want to hear what you think. More details and a feedback form are available on the project website. You’ll have until Monday 28 July to provide feedback. We look forward to hearing from you.

Please also feel free to forward this newsletter on to anyone else who you think would be interested. 

More information

For more information on the SH1 Dunedin safety improvements project, contact us at SH88StAndrewSt@nzta.govt.nz

Visit our website: www.nzta.govt.nz/SH88-NDH