Roundabout construction over halfway there

If you’ve driven on State Highway 1/3 (SH1/3) recently, you would’ve seen the new permanent roundabout taking shape at our construction site. Crews have put a lot of work in over the past few months and the roundabout is now more than halfway built.

The temporary roads that allow traffic to keep steadily moving around the main construction site on SH1/3, are working well. Following ongoing monitoring and community feedback about the temporary roundabout, a change was made to merge the two lanes on the southbound approach into one lane. This change was made due to feedback suggesting the lanes weren’t always being used correctly, and to ensure the safety of everyone using the temporary roundabout.

Check out some pictures below of the new roundabout construction underway at the intersection of SH1/3 and Pukenui Road.

Image: The roundabout is taking shape at the intersection of SH1/3 and Pukenui Road. Drone image supplied by NZDF.

Image: The new permanent roundabout construction underway in mid-December 2023.

Image: Construction is underway on the southbound lanes off the new roundabout.

Image: Night-time paving works underway on Pukenui Road, outside RNZAF Base Ohakea.

What to expect in 2024

Our crews will be taking a break over the summer holiday season and will be back in January to complete paving works. Next year, work will also begin on the shared user path that’s planned for the northbound side of the state highway between Tangimoana Road and Pukenui Road. This path will offer an improved connection between Bulls and RNZAF Base Ohakea that will keep pedestrians and cyclists safely separated from motorists on the state highway.

We have begun investigations into the inclusion of a short section of flexible median barrier between the northern end of the new roundabout and ending before the turn into Wightman Road. This would be about 700 metres (roughly a one-minute drive) of median barrier separating the northbound and southbound lanes.

Flexible median barrier would also be installed between the shared user path itself and the northbound lane. The number of pedestrians and cyclists travelling on the side of the state highway is expected to increase following the construction of the path. Barriers will protect people using the shared user path and prevent head on crashes on this section of road.

In February, crews are expected to complete road tie-in works which are necessary to tie the new roundabout structure into the existing state highway network. Due to the nature of these important works, there will be an impact to road users. We will provide an update on this in the new year before these tie-in works take place.

The overall Pukenui Road roundabout and shared user path project is on schedule for completion by August 2024.

Find out more about our project on our website: https://www.nzta.govt.nz/projects/sh1-sh3-bulls-to-sanson/

Image: Early works on the new Ohakea Commercial Vehicle Safety Centre (CVSC) have started.

Ohakea Commercial Vehicle Safety Centre

Construction is underway on the new Commercial Vehicle Safety Centre (CVSC) that’s being built on Pukenui Road outside Base Ohakea.

The Ohakea CVSC will replace the old New Zealand Police weigh station on SH1/3 near Bulls.

It’s one of 12 facilities we’re building on high-volume freight routes around the country for the NZ Police to operate. These facilities are part of the national Commercial Vehicle Safety Programme (CVSP) which is developing an integrated network of cameras, weigh-in-motion scales and safety centres covering strategic routes across the country. These facilities aim to improve road safety, ensure a level playing field for the industry and encourage compliant vehicle productivity.

This location has been chosen because it’s a vital link to the central and lower North Island and is a high-volume freight route with more than 2000 heavy vehicle passing daily. The construction of the new permanent roundabout on the state highway also means trucks can safely enter from both directions.

Find out more about this project on our website: https://www.nzta.govt.nz/projects/sh1-sh3-bulls-to-sanson/ohakea-cvsc/

Watch: See the Glasnevin CVSC in Canterbury in action following its upgrade in 2022.

More information

To find out more about the project, visit our website nzta.govt.nz/bulls2sanson

The project team can also be contacted at bullstosanson@nzta.govt.nz