NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi has confirmed there are no firm plans for significant work beyond its existing focus on adjusting key intersections.
However, the agency expected its ‘‘optimisation’’ programme for State Highway 1 and SH87 could make a difference in the short term and medium term for traffic flow, accessibility and safety.
‘‘This will look at identifying improvements at key intersections, with possible solutions including changes to signals, installing new signals, changes to traffic movements, adding additional lanes and changes to road layouts,’’ an agency spokesman said.
‘‘In addition to this optimisation work, we will continue to monitor traffic flows and vehicle movements over time so that we can assess future transport needs for Mosgiel.’’
‘‘No other major transport projects are currently proposed for this area.’’
Options were not being excluded, either.
Any future proposals would have to be planned around ‘‘what the evidence shows and what the longer-term transport needs are’’.
The agency’s response came after it received criticism from some Dunedin city councillors who were underwhelmed by what transport officials envisaged.
Their points included the lion’s share of national highways funding went to the North Island and Mosgiel’s main street, Gordon Rd, was unsuitable for the volumes of heavy traffic it received.
Dangerous incidents included a couple of parked cars having their doors sliced off by traffic.
The town was growing and a proposed inland port near Mosgiel could exacerbate traffic problems if meaningful interventions were not advanced, they said.
In 2024, Stantec completed a report commissioned by Port Otago about heavy-traffic bypass options for Mosgiel.
Stantec favoured a bypass route that would run along Gladfield Rd to Dukes Rd South and on to Dukes Rd North.
The transport agency said it was aware of this work and of community concerns about truck movements in Mosgiel.
Backing up a statement from Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop, the spokesman said the volume of truck movements in Mosgiel’s main street was ‘‘not unusual for a road of this type’’.
‘‘In addition, initial data suggests that the majority of heavy commercial vehicles using SH87/Gordon Rd come from Dunedin, or north of Mosgiel, so would be unlikely to bypass Mosgiel.’’
The proposed inland port was going through the government’s fast-track consent process and there would be opportunity for parties to provide feedback through this process.
He also said the forecast funding for Otago-Southland in the 2024-27 national land transport programme rose about 27% to $1.4 billion from the amount forecast for the previous three-year cycle.
