Ashburton District Councillors will sit down with Waka Kotahi in the next few weeks to see the final design of new traffic lights at the intersection of State Highway 1, Lagmhor Road and Agnes Street, at Tinwald.

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency has just called for tenders to do the work, which is part of the New Zealand Upgrade Programme. The Tinwald corridor improvement project includes traffic lights, a new rail level crossing and improved pedestrian and cycling facilities.

Chief Executive Hamish Riach said Waka Kotahi would present the final design, an explanation of the background to the project and a description of the key elements.

“This meeting is about sharing information about the project, not about Council endorsement or consultation. It will be a chance to understand the final design and answer questions.”

Consultation with stakeholders and the community occurred in 2021 and there has been ongoing engagement with local residents and businesses during the design stage.

Construction is expected to begin mid 2023 and take about a year.

“We know it will be disruptive but the work has to be done,” Mr Riach said.

“It should enable much better access to the highway from side streets, on either side of Tinwald, particularly when SH1 is really busy.”

Waka Kotahi Director of Regional of Relationships James Caygill said the improvements would make getting on and off SH1 easier at peak times, and it would also be safer and easier for people walking or cycling to cross the highway.

Other key features of the project include:

• An upgrade to the Lagmhor Road rail crossing to stop queuing across the tracks.
• Traffic from the Lake Hood area will be encouraged to use McMurdo Street and the traffic signals at Agnes Street as the safest route for turning right onto the highway.
• The northbound state highway right turn bay into Graham Street will be widened, and right turns will still be possible out of Graham Street with some additional gaps provided from the new signals at Agnes Street.
• Agnes and Thomson Street will be promoted as the safest route to Tinwald Primary School.
• Changes to Melcombe Street will create a safer cycle route to the Ashburton River bridge, and the rail viaduct will be made safer with a new shared path underneath.
• The current northbound highway cycle lane will be removed and the centre flush median widened to make right turns from local streets easier and safer.

To subscribe for updates about the project, or to see more information, see Waka Kotahi's webpage here.