A question mark hangs over whether Waka Kōtahi – NZ Transport Agency will consider State Highway 30 between Whakatāne and Awakeri to be among the 1 percent of the country’s most dangerous roads.
“This stretch of State Highway 30 has been identified as a high-risk rural road,” an information sheet published by Waka Kotahi this month states.
Between 2016 and 2020, two people were killed and 16 seriously injured on this stretch of SH30, and most of these have been head-on, run off road and speed related, it states.
Plans to knock the speed limit down to 80kmh, and lower in places, are part of one review Waka Kōtahi expects to make announcements on mid-year.
An announcement by Prime Minister Chris Hipkins on March 13 mentioned the Government would be narrowing the focus of speed reductions to the most dangerous 1 percent of roads.
Waka Kotahi told the Beacon this announcement would be unlikely to affect the current review of State Highway 30 speeds or the planned safety improvements between Whakatāne and Awakeri.
He urged any members of the public who had concerns about Waka Kōtahi’s plans to go along to the community open days to speak with the highway planners directly.
Waka Kōtahi’s proposed safety improvements include installing a wire median barrier along State Highway 30 between Whakatāne and Awakeri, installing roundabouts at the intersections with Thornton Road, Te Rahu Road and White Pine Bush Road.
Community open days:
Thursday, March 30 at the Awakeri Events Centre from 11.30am to 2pm and from 3pm to 6pm.
Credit: sunlive.co.nz
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