Council seeks input on road change
6 November 2015
Work will begin early next year to fix one of Cambridge's most notorious accident spots.
The installation of a roundabout at the intersection of SH1 and Victoria Road by St Andrew's Anglican church was not scheduled to be undertaken for another four years.
But the NZ Transport Agency has stepped in and agreed to fund and fast-track the work on behalf of Waipa District Council.
Council's group manager service delivery Barry Bergin said while lights had been considered for the intersection a roundabout was the preferred and safest option.
The opening of the Cambridge section of the Waikato Expressway in December will mean significant changes to Cambridge traffic patterns. The intersection upgrade will be a big improvement and offers an opportunity to change and improve that whole road section between Victoria Road and Queen St.
In the next few weeks, council staff will talk to local business owners and seek their input before design plans for Victoria Road are finalised.
The reduced traffic volumes open up opportunities for improvements in terms of cycleway access, better pedestrian crossing points and potentially more parking, Bergin said.
We need to make sure the traffic flows effectively. But given we're putting in the roundabout anyway let's make other changes now that will enhance that stretch of road. For example, we could look at better linkages to the green belt and access to Lake Te Ko Utu. Those are the sort of things that we need to discuss. We need to know what's important to local business owners so we can incorporate that in our planning. We don't need to do everything right away, but we should plan for it.
Bergin said businesses and local residents could expect some disruption while the roundabout project was underway but hoped it would be minimal.
Construction wouldn't start until early 2016 at the earliest. Yes, it will be disruptive but certainly worth it in terms of safety improvements at that intersection.
Media enquiries,
Contact Jeanette Tyrrell (on behalf of council)
027 507 7599