New Plymouth mayor slams lack of progress on ‘diabolical’ highway
New Plymouth’s mayor has hit out at the “glacial pace” of a major safety upgrade to a deadly stretch of state highway, while revealing another $26 million is still needed to fully realise the plans.
In November 2018, Transport Minister Phil Twyford announced a $29m investment in urgent improvements, required along a 12-kilometre section of State Highway 3 between Bell Block and Waitara, which has three of the country’s 100 most dangerous intersections.
The biggest part of the planned work is the construction of four roundabouts at De Havilland Dr, Princess St, Waitara Rd and the turn-off to State Highway 3A, with work slated to start in late 2021.
The stretch of road has a deadly history, with 15 deaths in the past decade – the most recent of which was near Big Jim’s Hill on September 10.
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