The access to Cornish St from State Highway 2 is being closed to prevent future crashes. Image / Google Maps
The access to Cornish St from State Highway 2 is being closed to prevent future crashes. Image / Google Maps
An accessway has been permanently closed after a driver used it to enter a Wellington highway from the wrong direction, causing a fatal crash.
Two people died and two were badly injured in the early morning crash in January last year, which happened after the car travelled 10km in thewrong direction on the Wellington Urban Motorway.
Lisale Foaese, 76, and George Foaese, 41, who were in the offending vehicle, both died at the scene, while the occupants of the other car, Genna Te Kahika and her brother Jeremy, were taken to Wellington Hospital in a critical condition.
Now the accessway the driver used to get on to the motorway is being permanently closed to prevent similar crashes happening again.
"In 2021, a driver used the access to join the highway in the wrong direction, towards Wellington, ending in a fatal crash. By changing the road layout we can prevent it happening again."
Access to businesses, and to the Cornish St gate of Belmont Regional Park will be available via Priests Avenue, 500m further north on SH2.
The decision to close the access follows discussion with local businesses. Access will be closed from April 19.
An interim closure will be put in place at first, with permanent safety barriers installed at a later date.
