Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency is calling for tenders to construct highway improvements on SH1 through Tinwald, near Ashburton, as part of the NZ Upgrade Programme.
Tinwald is one of three growing rural town centres in Canterbury – as well as West Melton and Ashburton – to benefit from the $45 million package.
The Tinwald Corridor improvements project includes an upgraded intersection and traffic lights to the SH1/Lagmhor Road/Agnes Street intersection and adjacent streets, a new rail level crossing and improved pedestrian and cycling facilities.
It is one of 20 major projects Waka Kotahi is delivering for the government’s NZ Upgrade Programme (NZUP) and is the third NZUP project for rural intersection safety improvements in Canterbury/Waitaha to get under way.
Waka Kotahi Director of Regional Relationships James Caygill says the improvements will make getting on and off SH1 easier at peak times. “It will also be safer and easier for people from west Tinwald to visit local shops and businesses, whether by car, walking or by bike,” Mr Caygill says.
Construction is expected to begin soon after mid-year 2023 and will take about a year to complete.
The NZ Upgrade Programme includes a range of transport projects to get cities and regions moving, save lives and boost productivity. The programme is already supporting jobs and the economy, with about 700 people developing projects around the country and getting them ready for construction.
New Zealand Upgrade Programme: Canterbury package
SH1 Tinwald Corridor improvements
Further notes
- The new traffic lights at SH1/Lagmhor Road/Agnes Street intersection and adjacent streets will make it safer and easier for people in Tinwald to cross between east and west residential areas – in cars, walking or by bike. It will also mean crossing and getting on and off the highway is easier at peak travel times.
- The upgraded intersection with traffic lights will make it safer and easier for people from west Tinwald to visit local shops and businesses, instead of travelling to Ashburton, as many do now.
- The project design also supports the wider transport network (agriculture, industry, freight and rail requirements), and accommodates growth to the south of Tinwald.
Other key features
- An upgrade to the Lagmhor Road rail crossing to stop queuing across the tracks.
- New traffic signals at the SH1/Lagmhor Road/Agnes Street intersection. 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.
