Rolleston flyover options may include an underpass

The different roading configurations being investigated for the flyover plan across State Highway...
The different roading configurations being investigated for the flyover plan across State Highway 1 at Rolleston may include an underpass. Photo: Star Media
Design engineers are investigating numerous roading configurations for Rolleston as they grapple with the perfect flyover design - which may even include an underpass.

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency released a controversial flyover plan in July last year, but it was opposed by many businesses in the industrial zone.

A Waka Kotahi spokesperson said its design engineers were now refining the options down to “around three” and would have a revised draft plan with a preferred option ready for community feedback in about two months.

“A solution that we think fits community needs better is starting to emerge,” the spokesperson said.

The main aim was to prevent people from being killed and seriously injured on State Highway 1 and at rail crossings in Rolleston.

“This is a high-risk section of a major South Island freight corridor, intersecting with rail. There have been around 40 near misses at Hoskyns level crossing in the past 10 years.”

The different roading configurations may include an underpass. Photo: File image
The different roading configurations may include an underpass. Photo: File image
The project team has investigated numerous configurations, including “at-grade”, which was pedestrians, cyclists and motorists crossing or using the intersection at the same level, as well as “alternative flyover/underpass options at different locations”.

However, Waka Kotahi could not provide any further details, saying it was “too soon” to state whether any of the options would include an underpass in addition to a flyover.

The flyover is part of a wider plan involving safety improvements along SH1 from Rolleston through to the Selwyn River.

Waka Kotahi is also considering reducing the speed limit on this stretch of road from 100km/h to 80km/h and looking into roundabout options at the Aylesbury and Burnham Rds intersection in Burnham.

It is delivering the project as part of the New Zealand Upgrade Programme, an $8.7 billion Government investment for growth areas including Canterbury.