Making SH16 between Brigham Creek and Waimauku safer

Thanks to everyone who came along to see us at the community events held in September. We had some great conversations about our safety improvements project and how we can make it safer for people walking or cycling, and the current speed limits along State Highway 16 (SH16) between Brigham Creek and Waimauku.

Your feedback is important to us. We use your feedback to check we haven’t missed anything important.

To take a look at a summary of what was said, and your views on what we have proposed, you can take a look at it here.

What's happening now?

We’re completing final design tweaks on stage one, between Huapai and Waimauku. We will provide this information to our construction contractor, who will start the work next year.

We’re talking with utility and service providers, so they know what work is planned and if any services need to be moved.

Geotechnical investigations also continue along the route. The team is collecting information about the stability and condition of the soil. This is used by the engineering and design teams so the right kind of road or retaining wall is built to suit what’s underground. Recently the team has been using a borehole drill, drilling a 10cm diameter hole down to about 10-20 metres.

The safety improvements will help make it safer to get around as people do their day to day activities like getting to work, school or to leisure activities. Next year the following steps will be completed for this project:

• Confirm if a pedestrian refuge island (safe place to wait in the middle of the road)  and footpath extension will be put in near Wintour Road at Waimauku.
• Confirm if a shared path will be included between Brigham Creek and Kumeu.
• Continue to talk with landowners about their property.
• Gain resource consent so we can start work.
• Tender and award the contract for constructing stage one, between Huapai and Waimauku.
• Mid-year start constructing stage one of the safety improvements.
• Finalise the design for stage two between Brigham Creek and Kumeu. This section requires more complex resource consents and has greater property impacts, so has had to be programmed for late 2019.

Current speed limits

You told us you wanted more signs to show what the speed limits are, and the speed limit reviewed on some parts of the road. In September we sought feedback on this and of the 103 responses, 69 percent supported a decrease in the speed limit for either the whole length of the project or part of the project.

Frequently Asked Questions

While we’re out in your community we’re often asked questions and there are some that are commonly raised, so we thought we’d share these with you.

Q: Why don’t you put in a left turn slip lane at the new Coatesville Riverhead Highway roundabout, for those coming from Coatesville and Riverhead?

A: A dedicated left turn slip lane on the Coatesville Riverhead Highway approach to the roundabout was looked in to during the early stages of the project. In order to incorporate a slip lane, the proposed roundabout footprint would have to be made larger to allow for vehicles to safely merge and provide adequate sight distance. An extensive amount of property would also be needed. In addition, slip lanes encourage higher speeds which in turn would make it unsafe for pedestrians who are wanting to cross at the roundabout.

Q: How will a roundabout help Coatesville Riverhead people get out in the morning peak, when they will be needing to give way to the constant stream of traffic coming from Kumeu?

A: Our traffic team have undertaken modelling of the proposed roundabout to understand its performance. The modelling is the best way to predict how the roundabout will function after it is built. The findings showed that vehicle delays and queues, on all legs of the roundabout, will be not be signficant. This is because the approaches to the roundabout will be designed so drivers have to slow down, which in turn creates gaps in the flow of traffic, allowing other vehicles opportunities to enter the roundabout from adjacent roads. At the moment, there is no incentive for traffic coming from Kumeu to slow down or create safe gaps for those turning from side roads.

More FAQ's can be found here.

More information

For more information on the SH16 Brigham Creek to Waimauku project, or if you have any questions, please get in touch with Kathy Chinn, our Community Engagement Manager, on 021 064 4777 or email kathy.chinn@saferoads.co.nz.

Visit our website www.nzta.govt.nz/BC2W