Highway Barrier Ahead of Schedule

TRANSIT New Zealand’s $15.2 million wire rope median barrier project along Centennial Highway is running ahead of schedule.

Transit’s Wellington regional manager, Graham Taylor, said though October was still the scheduled completion date, Transit had always hoped to deliver it early.

Work on extending the trial section of wire rope median barrier along the entire stretch of Centennial Highway began in August last year. Good weather in the past couple of months and innovative techniques had put the programme about a month ahead of schedule, Transit project manager Peter Martineau said.

Widening of the road south of the 700-metre trial barrier had been completed and once the northern section was finished, a barrier would be installed along the entire coastal highway.

The trial section of barrier has prevented half a dozen head-on collisions since it was installed in November 2004 — the most recent about a fortnight ago.

(c) 2007 Dominion Post. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.