Roundabout to stay for Fieldays

3 June 2014Cambridge's temporary roundabout at the intersection of State Highway 1 and Shakespeare St has been given a short-term reprieve.

The roundabout was put in place to ease traffic congestion during repairs to Cambridge's high-level bridge. Repairs were completed in early May and the New Zealand Transport Agency, which controls SH1, confirmed the roundabout would be removed because of safety concerns.

Waipa District Council has been advocating for the roundabout to remain.

Today, in a joint statement, the Transport Agency and council confirmed that discussions about the intersection were ongoing. In the meantime, the roundabout would stay in place at least until after the National Fieldays in mid-June.

NZTA acting highway manager Karen Boyt acknowledged the temporary roundabout did slow traffic going through the intersection and helped keep traffic moving. But the roundabout also had significant safety risks associated with it, especially for large trucks travelling north on SH1, she said. Those risks could not be ignored.

Waipa District Council has already confirmed that plans are in place to construct a permanent roundabout on the site once the Cambridge section of the Waikato Expressway is complete in 2016. At that stage, fewer trucks will use the route and the road will be under the council's control. However, further investigations on other options are underway.

Over the next few weeks, the Transport Agency will advise the council what safety specifications must be met for a semi-permanent roundabout to be built before the Expressway is completed. Council's roading engineers will work with the Transport Agency to see if it is possible to design a roundabout that meets these safety specifications and is affordable. If not, the temporary roundabout will be dismantled and the intersection will revert back to how it was.

The council's roading manager Dawn Inglis said the council accepted the Transport Agency's safety concerns. She also acknowledged that many people in the community wanted some kind of roundabout to stay.

We're looking at this from every angle to see if we can address the safety issues and find a solution that's appropriate and affordable, she said.

Over the next few weeks, we will be able to determine if it's even feasible to build a semi-permanent solution, or whether or not we will have to wait until the Expressway is finished.

ends

Media enquiries:

Jeanette Tyrrell (on behalf of Waipa District Council) 027 5077 599 or

Andy Knackstedt (Transport Agency national media manager) Phone 021 276 3222 or 04 894 6285.