SH5 Tarukenga to Ngongotahā

Major works along SH5 Tarukenga to Ngongotahāhave been completed. 

New roundabout traffic lights

Roundabout metering will be upgraded to help improve traffic flow in early-2022. Traffic lights will be operating on SH5 for traffic approaching the SH5/SH36 Ngongotahā roundabout from Hamilton. The traffic lights will be phased to ease queues on SH36 when it is busy – predominantly during the weekday morning peak.

The lights will only operate when traffic queues activate the metering. When this happens, the lights will turn amber then red to stop the vehicles, allowing traffic from the busiest road to enter the roundabout. The traffic lights will have amber and red lights only – no green.

SH5, from Tarukenga (near Lake View Golf Course) to the SH5/SH36 Ngongotahā roundabout, has been identified as a rural road which can be made safer.

From 2015 – 2019, six people lost their lives or were seriously injured on this stretch of road. Most of these crashes were caused by vehicles running off the road or head-on collisions.

To reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured on New Zealand roads, Waka Kotahi will deliver proven and effective safety interventions to make our roads safer for all users.

These safety improvements are being delivered as part of Road to Zero, to reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured on New Zealand's roads.

This project received $14 million in funding from the regional package of the NZ Upgrade Programme and $1 million from the Waka Kotahi Speed and Infrastructure Programme.

This investment will improve safety along the rural state highway and reduce congestion at the SH5/SH36 roundabout.

With the focus on making the highway safer and reducing congestion at the roundabout, the improvements include:

• road widening and roadside and median safety barriers at high risk locations on SH5 to help reduce the risk of head-on collisions and prevent drivers from running off the road and hitting something much less forgiving – like a tree or power pole
• a wide centreline in areas for more space between lanes
• centreline and edgeline rumble strips to give fatigued or distracted drivers a wake-up call if they stray across the line
• signs and road markings to warn drivers of risks they need to prepare for further down the road such as intersections, stop signs or sharp curves
• shortening of the existing passing lane by approximately 700m to provide a safer merging for vehicles prior to the Tarukenga Road intersection.

The SH5/SH36 Ngongotahā roundabout upgrade includes:

• an extra lane in all directions around the roundabout, as well as when approaching, entering and exiting the roundabout, to address morning and afternoon peak-time traffic flow and improve efficiency
• a slip lane for west bound (Hamilton) traffic
• updated road line markings, lighting, signage and wider sealed shoulders.

View larger map [PDF, 222 KB]

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