A new roundabout on State Highway 22 at Glenbrook Road will make it much safer for vehicles turning on and off this busy rural road between Drury and Paerata.

“The roundabout will be a significant addition to the safety improvements Waka Kotahi is making along State Highway 22. The roundabout will make this busy and dangerous intersection safer and easier for traffic from all directions,” says Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency National Manager Infrastructure Delivery Andrew Thackwray.

A karakia and blessing led by local iwi, Ngāti Whanaunga and Ngāti Tamaoho, was held on site this morning, with earthworks due to start almost immediately.

The roundabout will replace the current 'Give Way' controlled intersection which has a high volume of turning traffic. Up to 25,000 vehicles a day use SH22 to connect to SH1, and vehicle numbers are increasing as the local population grows. About 10,000 vehicles a day enter or leave SH22 at Glenbrook Road.

“Improving this intersection is a priority due to the current road safety risk from head-on and side-on collisions. There have been 21 recorded crashes within 400 metres of the intersection between January 2015 and December 2019.”

Andrew Thackwray says the new roundabout will be mainly constructed to the side of the existing intersection to reduce disruption to general traffic.

The roundabout will be built using high quality structural pavement to account for the large volume of heavy vehicles using the route and will require around 13,000 cubic metres of fill material. The project will also upgrade about 300 metres of the roads leading to the new roundabout.

“There will be a temporary speed limit in place for the safety of all road users, including our construction workers. Waka Kotahi thanks motorists for their patience and understanding. There’s added complexity when working in a live traffic environment, but our crews will endeavour to minimise disruption as much as possible.”

The new roundabout will have four legs, giving access to the new Paerata Primary School under construction and Paerata Rise development where 4,500 new homes are to be built.

The $16.4 million project is funded by Waka Kotahi under the Safe Network Programme which introduced safer speed limits on SH22 last year.

The Glenbrook Road intersection is on the SH22 road corridor that runs through a largely rural area expected to support significant urban development in coming years from Drury and the Southern Motorway as far south as Pukekohe. To support future growth in the area, Waka Kotahi is working with Auckland Transport on planning staged upgrades along SH22 to improve safety, provide walking and cycling connections and better access for public transport, freight and general traffic to support current and future residents.

The roundabout project is aligned to New Zealand’s Road Safety Strategy, Road to Zero 2020 – 2030, which sets a target to reduce deaths and serious injuries on New Zealand’s roads, cycleways and footpaths by 40 percent over the next 10 years.

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