Public consultation starts next week on a bylaw to convert a range of temporary lower speed limits to permanent limits on the Picton to Christchurch alternate state highway route.
The lower speed limits were introduced on state highways 63, 6, 65 and 7 last year, under emergency legislation following the November 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Kaikoura.
Consultation also includes a proposal to lower the speed limit on a section of the Lower Buller Gorge that links to the alternate route. This road is not in the current emergency rule.
The lower speed limits were brought in as part of a wide-ranging package of safety measures.
These were designed to manage the risks associated with the significant increase in traffic using the alternate route while State Highway 1 remains closed for repair, NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) regional relationships director Jim Harland says.
He says emergency speed limits can only legally be in place for six months. As SH1 will not be fully restored until the end of the year, and to keep the lower speed limits in place to maintain safety, the law requires that these lower limits now be made permanent, Harland says.
The agency will seek feedback on the proposed bylaw from councils, stakeholders, road user groups and local communities.
Harland says the NZTA will continue to monitor the alternate route once SH1 is restored, and if required, review speed limits again.
“The alternate route is challenging to drive,” he says. “Since the Kaikōura earthquake, the volume of vehicles travelling on some parts of this route has quadrupled, with significant increases in the number of heavy vehicles using the route.”
The Government is also investing $60 million in upgrading parts of the route to make it safer and more resilient. This includes widening several sections, resealing, installing several new bailey bridges alongside existing one-way bridges, traffic signals on several one-way bridges, and using radars and webcams to measure traffic volumes and provide travel updates.
Consultation is from April 3 to May 3.
Information on the proposed changes will be available on the NZTA website from April 3.
