Work has started on the first of two new mid-block signalised pedestrian crossings on Cumberland St to provide safer and easier access to the new Dunedin hospital. The first crossing will be located outside New World City Centre, in the block between State Highway 88/St Andrew St and Hanover St in central Dunedin. That would provide direct access across SH1/Cumberland St to the outpatient building of the new Dunedin hospital, which was expected to open later in the year, New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) said in a statement. A second pedestrian crossing, to be located outside Woolworths Dunedin Central in the block between SH88/St Andrew St and Stuart St, would be installed at a later date, and connect to the new inpatient building due to be operational in 2031. As Cumberland St is one of Dunedin’s busiest transport corridors, the new crossings are to provide controlled points of access and discourage people from attempting to cross to and from the new hospital at unsafe locations. Both crossings will be integrated with Dunedin’s “green wave’’ traffic signal system, which is designed to maintain efficient traffic flow along SH1 through the city centre. To minimise disruption to road users and surrounding businesses, construction of the crossing outside New World City Centre is set to take place overnight from Monday to Friday, with the road reduced to one lane. Work will occur between 7pm to 6am, when there is less traffic on the roads, and a 30kmh speed restriction will be in place. The work will be delivered in stages and undertaken intermittently, with completion expected by mid-October 2026. The only full planned road closure is for surfacing work associated with the installation of signal detection loops in the roadway, a task expected to be completed over a single night or two in October. Details would be provided closer to the time. The two new pedestrian crossings were just the start of improvements to streets adjacent to the new hospital that were designed to make access safer and easier for hospital patients, visitors and staff, the statement said. NZTA undertook public engagement last year on a series of changes that included a new “Barnes Dance’’ crossing at the SH88/St Andrew St and SH1/Cumberland St intersection. More changes are being finalised. — Allied Media
