Click photo to enlarge
Stephen Woodhead
Which should come first - improved safety or improved
efficiency? That is the question Otago roading authorities are
posing over the proposed two-stage, $52.6 million upgrade of
State Highway 1 at Caversham.
The Caversham bypass, as it is known, is the biggest roading
proposal in the $530 million, three-year Otago Regional Land
Transport Programme, released yesterday by the newly-formed
Otago Regional Transport Committee.
The programme includes the safety work as stage one, but
committee chairman Stephen Woodhead acknowledged to the
Otago Daily Times yesterday it could be argued
efficiency should come first.
Stage one [the safety portion of the project] would involve a
$31.4 million upgrade of Caversham Valley Rd from Barnes Dr
to Lookout Point.
The improvements would include changes at the Barnes Dr
intersection, the creation of four lanes from the
intersection to Lookout Point, with a 3m median, a service
lane for houses on the south side of the highway, an increase
in the speed limit from 50kmh to 60kmh and a bridge over the
highway at Lookout Point.
Stage two [the efficiency portion] would involve the spending
of $17.4 million on widening, from two lanes to four, the
highway between Barnes Dr and Andersons Bay Rd.
Mr Woodhead pointed out the safety portion attracted less
national funding and required more regional funding.
"The interesting thing is, the safety portion is the bigger
chunk of money and, clearly, there must be some safety issues
driving that thinking, but a relatively smaller chunk of
money will give us four lanes."
Asked why the committee had put the safety portion as stage
one, Mr Woodhead said the committee's thinking was based on
the legislation and Labour government policy at the time.
However, new Transport Minister Steven Joyce was sending out
"different signals".
Last week, Mr Joyce referred to congestion, safety and
economic growth as reasons why the Government was promoting
upgrades of seven "roads of national significance".
Mr Woodhead said that being realistic, he had not expected
the Caversham project to make it on to the Government list.
However, he regarded the existing two-lane highway between
Barnes Dr and Anderson Bay Rd as "quite ridiculous",
particularly when "we've got a fair chunk of our produce
arriving into the city, and moving through to the port, down
that motorway".
New Zealand Transport Agency regional director Bruce Richards
told the ODT this week there was a "quick fix" to the
safety issues at Lookout Point: "Just take away the
intersection."
However, this would divide the city by doing away with the
"connectivity" between adjacent suburbs.
Of the efficiency option, Mr Richards said, "We can do that
pretty quick".
". . . we thought safety and connectivity would be more
important but, if you look at it from an economic stimulus
point of view, we've got money and we've got ability to do
the four-laning sooner rather than later."
The committee proposes spending $13,648,115 on stage one of
the project over the next three years, but Mr Woodhead said
he would like to hear the public's view before the programme
was finalised.
The public has until 4pm on May 1 to make submissions.
A final decision on funding proposals will be made by the
board of the New Zealand Transport Authority before the end
of July.
