December 2019

SH2 Masterton to Carterton safety improvements

Hello

We’re emailing to update you on the State Highway 2 Masterton to Carterton project.

In August 2018, we talked with the community, council and others about what they thought were the problems with this stretch of road.

These are some of the things you told us:

• There’s a lot of traffic on this stretch of road.
• Some intersections don’t feel safe.
• It can be difficult to turn into or out of some of the homes and businesses along this road.
• People feel unsafe crossing the state highway on foot or on a bicycle in some areas.
• The road surface needs improvement and maintenance.
• People told us they’d like to see the lower speeds in Masterton and Carterton extended and some wanted the speed limit lowered around busy areas such as the Chester Road entrance to Clareville A&P Showgrounds to make access safer and easier.

Based on what we heard as well as our research, we’ve been working on a plan for the improvements that we think would make this road safer.

What we’re looking to do

There are a number of important safety projects around the country, and we need to prioritise the timing of our projects so we can make the biggest difference in reducing deaths and serious injuries. At this time, we have not confirmed timing for improvements.

We will, however, continue to work to gain funding to make this road safer and keep you updated on the progress of funding and safety improvement design. In the meantime, we can share information on the potential safety improvements we have identified so far:

• Flexible median safety barriers with turnaround facilities on high-risk stretches like the main open road section. These can prevent head-on crashes as well as reducing the harm caused by crashes.
• Roundabouts at busy intersections such as where Norfolk Rd and Ngaumutawa Rd join SH2. Roundabouts can make it safer to turn into or off the highway.
• At less busy intersections along this road, we can look at restricting turning to left in, left out only to prevent crashes.
• A flush median, a painted section along the centre of the road, can be used to create safe space for people to wait before turning off the state highway in areas like Clareville.
• A review of speed limits along sections of this road.

We will update you on next steps with this.

Warm regards,

Angus McGrath
Community Engagement Manager

More information

For more information on the SH2 Masterton to Carterton project, or if you have any questions, please get in touch with Angus McGrath, our Community Engagement Manager, on 021 206 9715 or email angus.mcgrath@nzta.govt.nz

Visit our website www.nzta.govt.nz/m2c