Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency is asking people for feedback on ways to improve safety and accessibility on St Andrew Street, an access point to the new Dunedin Hospital’s inpatient and outpatient buildings.

St Andrew Street, the start of SH88 which takes traffic to and from Port Chalmers, is also the main east-west link to the Dunedin Central Business District. The new Dunedin Hospital will flank it on either side (see map below) and bring many more people on foot, using bicycles and mobility devices, says Waka Kotahi.

Hence the need to reassess accessibility and safety of this section of SH88, says Waka Kotahi Director of Regional Relationships James Caygill, using a single stage business case for SH88.

The discussion will help identify options to ensure that St Andrew Street is as safe as it can be for people going to and from the new Dunedin Hospital, he says. This could mean a switch of location for a small section of SH88 in the central city, which this business case will investigate in 2023.

“We will be working closely with Dunedin City Council and Otago Regional Council, which manages the bus routes, and key stakeholders throughout these discussions and any subsequent changes.

“The project will explore options to increase safety along the existing St Andrew Street route, with more convenient links to the new hospital. When the outpatients building opens around 2025, more people will be walking in this area and crossing St Andrew Street, so we need to ensure that their safety and the hospital’s accessibility has been thought through ahead of then.”

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