Contractors have installed two raised ramps in the Ashhurst village centre. In the coming weeks concreting crews will start to join the new ramps with the existing footpath, creating a smooth surface.

Good progress being made in Ashhurst

Kia ora,
Work in Ashhurst is going really well. Our contractors are making good progress in the village centre, with two of the raised platforms installed and preparations underway for the raised intersection outside Ashhurst Library.
The new wider footpath along the eastern side of Salisbury Street is almost complete and work on the kerb buildouts is well underway.
COVID-19 may have stopped construction for a few weeks but our design team were hard at work during shut down and updated plans for the southern end of Ashhurst, around Hilary Crescent, are now available to view online and at Ashhurst Library.
You can read more about what we are doing below. As always, you can check out our designs on our project page. If you have any comments or feedback, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Thanks for your patience, we know there is a lot going on in Ashhurst and we appreciate your understanding.

The Project Team

Ashhurst village work

It’s all go in the village centre this month. The Higgins crews have finished drainage work and installed both raised platforms outside the RSA and Ashhurst School.
They have also started drainage works around the Cambridge Avenue/Bamfield Street intersection, where the new raised intersection will be installed next month, see artist impression above.
You will notice the concreting teams working on the ramp tie-ins this month too. This work will create a level surface between the ramps, the existing footpath and the new concrete planter boxes.
This will make it easier for parents with prams, people in wheelchairs or on scooters to cross the road. 
Weather permitting, the final asphalt seal will be started in July and following this all the road markings, like the zebra crossing at the Ashhurst School pedestrian crossing, will be re-painted.
The raised intersection and platforms are all made from precast ramps and will act like large speed bumps, encouraging drivers to slow down as they travel along Cambridge Avenue.
The new slow speed environment will make it safer for people to cross the road and encourage drivers to stop for a break and enjoy the Ashhurst village centre.
There will be lane closures, stop/go traffic management and a 30km/h speed restriction in place while we carry out this work.
Weather dependent, we expected to be finished in the village centre by late August.

Salisbury Street

Our crews have a few sections of footpath and some of the trickier driveway connections to complete over the next few weeks. They will also finish up the kerb buildouts, which are designed to help slow traffic on this road.
Once this is done, they will move back along Salisbury Street, checking that the drainage is working well, that the berms are all level and that there are no issues before they pack up. Weather permitting, we expect they will be finished by late July.

Bamfield, Lincoln, Worcester Streets

The team have started adding median islands at the Bamfield, Lincoln and Worcester Street intersections with Salisbury Street, and will soon move on to the Stanford Street and Cambridge Avenue intersections.
Following this they will also re-paint the road markings and change the give way priority to Stanford Street.
These changes will help discourage drivers from using these routes to overtake cars on the main roads, reducing the amount of traffic using these roads.
They will also slow down vehicles who do turn into them, creating a safer environment for residents.

The latest design for the Hillary Crescent and Mulgrave Street intersection is now online.

Ashhurst South – Mulgrave Street, Hillary Crescent, Cambridge Avenue and Custom Street

People have told us that they are worried about the speed of traffic through parts of Ashhurst South and that the current road layouts do not reflect the new traffic routes.
We have been working on ways to improve some of the key locations around this area and shared out draft designs during recent open days. Since then we have been talking with local residents and we have made a few changes to reflect feedback.
Details of what we are planning are below and our latest designs available to view online and at the Ashhurst Library. Weather permitting, we expect to start work on these areas by mid-July.

Hillary Crescent and Mulgrave Street intersection – we want to realign the intersection to give Mulgrave Street the priority. This change would mean the majority of traffic travelling through will not have to slow down and stop. We are also aiming to improve the footpath connections around both Hillary Crescent and Spelman Court to make it easier for pedestrians to get around.

Hillary Crescent, Cambridge Avenue and Custom Street – We are looking to slow vehicles down as they enter Hillary Crescent from Cambridge Avenue, and to make it easier for pedestrians to get around. We also want to improve visibility for those exiting Custom Street.

Design work continues on proposed SH3 Cambridge Avenue intersection and the Cambridge Avenue/York Street intersection changes. We’ll update you on these areas shortly.

More information

For more information on Ashhurst traffic mitigation, contact us at ashhurst@nzta.govt.nz or visit our website www.nzta.govt.nz/ashhurst.

You can also call our community engagement advisor Natalie Dixon on 0279778866.

If you’d like to find out more about the SH3 Manawatū Gorge replacement route you can go to www.nzta.govt.nz/manawatu-gorge