Safer journeys are on the horizon with construction of a new signal-controlled walking and cycling crossing on Cobham Drive, starting this Sunday 22 May.

The crossing will include a central traffic island for people walking, and accessible kerbs to support people with reduced mobility, as well as those crossing on bikes and scooters and with pushchairs.

Preliminary work to enable the new crossing was combined with routine maintenance on Cobham Drive in April, reducing disruption to everyone using the road.

“We were able to incorporate our pavement preparation with recent regular maintenance work. Our state highway maintenance team laid the asphalt base of the new crossing overnight in April, while they were carrying out road resurfacing in the area,” says Waka Kotahi Regional Manager Systems Design, Kesh Keshaboina.

“This means we won’t have to dig up the road to construct the crossing, which reduces the overall disruption to people moving through the area.”

Work will start on the city-bound side of Cobham Drive, with traffic reduced to one lane during off-peak periods to minimise disruption. In addition, improvements to the narrow lane connecting Tacy Street in Kilbirnie with the new crossing are also underway.

The new crossing is expected to open in late October. Combined with safer speed limits now in place between the Mt Victoria Tunnel and the Airport, people can look forward to safer and more connected journeys across local communities, the city centre and beyond.

Like the Basin Reserve, the crossing will only operate on demand, and signal sequencing will be staggered so that traffic on one side of the road is not interrupted by a person crossing the other side. If no-one is using the crossing, vehicles will not be required to stop.

While the crossing will provide immediate safety benefits when it opens, Let’s Get Wellington Moving will continue to investigate whether an alternative option, such as a bridge or underpass, may be suitable as a long-term option for people to cross Cobham Drive.

The Cobham Drive Crossing and Safer Speeds project is a key part of Let’s Get Wellington Moving. Providing this infrastructure now will provide more active options to get around the city, such as walking and cycling, while helping deliver the major changes Wellington needs.

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