End of a long wait

Photo: MIKE ISLE

Yes to roundabout: Pat Delich has waited nearly a decade to see action on a roundabout at the State Highway 16-Taupaki Rd intersection.

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MORE than a decade of campaigning for a roundabout at the State Highway 16-Taupaki Rd intersection, near Kumeu, has finally brought success.

A contract for the $4.5 million roundabout at the difficult crossroads is expected to be let shortly by the New Zealand Transport Agency.

Work could start as early as April.

Approval for the dual lane roundabout has been confirmed by the agency's state highways Auckland manager Tommy Parker, who expects it will take a year to complete.

The news has delighted campaigners such as Rodney District Council western ward councillor Pat Delich.

"We finally got what we wanted – it had to happen," he says.

Mr Delich and fellow campaigner Wayne Ryburn, of Taupaki, raised more than 400 signatures on a petition seeking roundabouts on SH16 at the Taupaki Rd-Old North Rd intersection, Access Rd in Kumeu – now signals – and at the Muriwai Beach turnoff in Waimauku.

Increasing concern about the Taupaki Rd intersection led to a meeting nine years ago between then Rodney mayor John Law, council and roading agency representatives and roundabout campaigners. Many pointed to the success of the highway's roundabout at the Don Buck Rd intersection in Massey, which brought a dramatic safety improvement.

Mr Law offered council help in securing land for the roundabout project, but delays continued.

Transit New Zealand, as it was then, wanted further reviews and was considering traffic signals or even a road reconfiguration.

Campaigners believed it would take a death to get action, but fortunately that did not happen, though there were many crashes over the years.

Safety improvements included reducing the highway speed limit to 80kmh, a stop sign at Taupaki Rd, and a give-way sign at Old North Rd. But many motorists found it was a difficult highway to cross, and that vision was impaired when turning right off the highway into both roads.

"It's great news – just a long time coming," Mr Ryburn says of the roundabout work confirmation. "It was about an $800,000 project when first proposed. Then it went to nearly $3m and now it's $4m plus."He would like to see it take less than a year to complete, though.

- © Fairfax NZ News