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Last modified: 29 Jul 2020 10:33am

Two major roading projects in Rolleston are expected to be completed in 2020.

The Council has agreed to bring forward upgrades to the intersection of Lowes Road/Tennyson Street and to the extension of Markham Way, which will see roading changes to Norman Kirk Drive and a new intersection created at Dryden Avenue.

The projects were scheduled for 2020/21 but are now due to be completed this financial year.

Council Transportation Asset manager Andrew Mazey says 13,000 vehicles a day travel along the affected area of Rolleston Drive and 11,000 vehicles per day travel across the Lowes Road intersection to and from Tennyson Street. Lowes Road traffic is expected to increase significantly once the Southern Motorway interchange at Weedons Road is fully opened.

The upgrades will make traffic flows smoother and prepare the town for growth in the future,  he says. Both projects will see traffic lights installed along with new lanes and cycleways. This will support the growing number of Rolleston High School students who cycle through the Lowes Road/ Tennyson Street intersection to and from school, Mr Mazey says.

The Markham Way extension will connect Norman Kirk Drive with Markham Way, removing the intersection of Norman Kirk Drive and Rolleston Drive and creating a new single intersection between Rolleston Drive, Markham Way and Dryden Avenue, which will be controlled by traffic lights.

This will help with traffic build-up and make it simpler for Rolleston School pupils by replacing the volunteer-operated school kea crossing. It will link up with the new Rolleston Town Centre, provide access to the new Health Hub, when this is built, and improve access to nearby subdivisions.

The Council also agreed to defer planned traffic lights for the Rolleston Drive/Tennyson Street intersection to secure funding and minimise disruption to traffic. It allocated the funding that had been budgeted for that project to the Lowes/Road Tennyson Street upgraded.

The Council approved a budget of $3.2 million for the Lowes Road/Tennyson Street upgrade and $2.6 million for the Dryden Avenue/Markham Way extension.