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Last modified: 29 Jul 2020 10:30am

A black car and a white car waiting at the intersection of Blakes Road and Shands Road

Selwyn District Council has welcomed the news that NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has now approved funding for safety upgrades at two important Prebbleton arterial intersections.

The Council has received confirmation from NZTA this week that it has reconsidered its previous decision and will fund the intersection safety work at the Shands Road/Blakes Road and Springs Road/Marshs Road intersections, after further work was undertaken on evaluating the projects.

These upgrades support connectivity with the Christchurch Southern Motorway Extension and the adjoining Christchurch City Council network on these two key local arterial roads between Selwyn and Christchurch.

The Council will continue to work with NZTA and the Christchurch City Council to implement these projects, Council Transportation Asset Manager Andrew Mazey says.

"Now that NZTA has confirmed it will fund these projects, we can proceed with renewed confidence to get planning under way to construct these important safety upgrades.

"The Council appreciates the efforts of NZTA and Christchurch City Council to work together with Selwyn in supporting revisiting these first two projects so they can progress, while we also continue to plan ahead for other arterial intersection safety upgrades for the Prebbleton area."

It is expected the two projects will involve constructing roundabouts at each intersection, at a total cost of around $9.7 million. Because of their alignment to the Safe Network Programme, the projects will be subsidised at the rate of 75% by NZTA under its new targeted enhanced funding assistance rate (TEFAR).

"It is especially pleasing that these Selwyn projects are among the first in the country approved under the new NZTA funding stream that can fast track specific road and intersection safety upgrades. We hope this also show cases this new initiative by the NZTA to assist Councils with road safety projects," Mr Mazey says.

“Canterbury is one of three priority regions identified because of the high potential savings in deaths and serious injuries on our roads through well-designed safety interventions,” says NZTA Director Regional Relationships Jim Harland.

“It is great to see Selwyn District Council, in partnership with Christchurch City Council, working with the Safe Network Programme* team, for the benefit of all road users and residents through this increasingly busy area.”

Mr Mazey says detailed design work will now be advanced, and the projects are planned to be substantially completed by mid-2021.