The crossings at Hoskyns Rd in Rolleston, Frasers and Boundary Creek Rds in Dunsandel and State Highway One near Selwyn Creek Rd will be upgraded.
The crossing at Sheats Rd in Dunsandel will be closed permanently.
The improvements are a part of the Safe Network Programme which focuses on safety improvements on high-risk routes across New Zealand to make roads more forgiving of people’s mistakes.
The work is being commissioned by the New Zealand Transport Agency and KiwiRail.
An NZTA spokesperson said there had been two serious crashes at the Frasers Rd crossing in 2012 and 2013.
SH1 at Selwyn had two serious injury crashes in 2006 and 2007 and there have been no recorded serious crashes at the Boundary Creek and Hoskyns Rds crossings. Sheats Road had one serious injury crash in 2007.
“Crash numbers are not the only factor in deciding to improve safety at a crossing. Other factors include near misses, the location of the crossing relative to the state highway network, sites where a long vehicle may be forced to stop over the tracks, proximity to corners and intersections, and speed limits on the section of road and nearby roads,” the spokesperson said.
The reason behind the permanent closure of the Sheats Rd crossing is due to its location and the low numbers of vehicles that use it.
“Closing this crossing is the safest option, particularly as there is another crossing in the near vicinity that is being upgraded. Because this crossing is so close to the state highway, there’s a risk that people driving cars or trucks queue over the crossing while waiting to turn on to the highway.
“Likewise, there’s also the risk that drivers wishing to turn into Sheats Road, who have to wait for a train to pass at the crossing, queue on the highway itself,” the spokesperson said.
Upgrades at the Hoskyns Rd crossing will include improvements of the existing pedestrian crossing.
A rubber material that fills the gap between the road and the tracks, STRAIL, will be installed along with flashing lights, a bell and automatic gates.
Existing road marking and signage will also be refreshed to meet relevant standards
The work is still in the design phase and a starting date is yet to be set.
At the SH1 near Selwyn Creek Rd crossing, the rail crossing surface and road safety barrier will be replaced.
Road marking and signage at approaches on the SH1 will be improved to meet standards with the addition of active warning signs on SH1.
The work is due to begin in November.
The crossings at Boundary Creek and Frasers Rds will both get half arm barriers, flashing lights and a bell, these will replace the current flashing lights and bell at Boundary Creek Rd.
Road marking and signage will be improved at the crossings and active warning signs linked to the rail signals are proposed for short-stacked vehicles on the roads and vehicles approaching the side roads on SH1.
The work at both crossings is expected to start in early 2020.
The closure of the crossing at Sheats Rd will include removing all surfacing and signage adjacent to the crossing and fencing it off at Sheats Rd.
Signs and road marking will be adjusted to reflect the changes and avoid confusion.
Sheats Rd will also be converted into a no exit road with a turning area at the end.
The crossing is due for closure next year.
