New entrance to Cambridge set to impress
21 April 2016
Plans for an improved entrance to Cambridge at the St Andrew's Anglican Church corner have been revealed.
Last year Waipa District Council signalled plans for a new roundabout at Hamilton Road and Victoria Street. The final design was delayed until traffic volumes settled following the opening of the Cambridge section of the Waikato Expressway.
The confirmed roundabout design, jointly funded by the NZ Transport Agency and Waipa District Council, includes a landscaped median strip between Victoria Road and Queen Street, the closure of part of Lake Street bordering Lake Te Ko Utu, two laning Whittaker Street to connect the Lakewood development and changing the existing median strip on Queen Street to allow traffic to turn right into Lake Street.
Plans also include new pathways and cycleways, improved footpaths and street lighting, pedestrian crossings on Queen Street, Victoria Street and Hamilton Road and more parking by the lake.
Service delivery manager Barry Bergin said the final design will radically improve the entrance to Cambridge. Closing part of Lake Street was crucial to installing the roundabout and creating an attractive space, he said.
Lake Street is currently used as a short-cut to avoid the intersection, but with a new roundabout that won't be needed. So the space can be used for leisure and eventually will include a cycleway and pathway into the CBD.
The median strip along Victoria Street will prevent motorists making U-turns and right turns on Queen Street. The decision was in response to safety concerns of all road users, Bergin said. He hoped the NZ Transport Agency and the council would complete the work this calendar year.
Since the Expressway opened, traffic on Cambridge Road (former SH1) has more than halved and Cambridge Road has been transferred back to Waipa District Council to manage and maintain as a local road.
Transport Agency project delivery manager Peter Simcock says work being undertaken on Cambridge Road to remove passing lanes, add a wide centre line and wide shoulders for cyclists will improve safety and are consistent with the road's new status as a local road.
The wide centreline and the wide shoulders will better separate traffic and will provide space for cyclists and accommodate motorists turning into driveways and side roads. The new layout is designed to better serve the local community.
The Transport Agency and Waipa District Council are also considering improvements to two intersections with poor safety records - one at Hanlin Road outside St Peters School and the other at Hooker Road-Racecourse Road.
For more information contact: Nicole Nooyen 07 872 0097 or 027 807 3478
