SH1B Telephone Road rail crossing: Waikato community split on rail crossing fix

The Waikato community has shown strong interest in an NZTA and Waikato District Council survey about the future of the Telephone Rd railway crossing. Photo / NZME

The Waikato community has mixed feelings about possible future options for the State Highway 1B Telephone Rd rail crossing.

There is currently no funding for the work needed to allow the crossing to reopen; however, New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) Waka Kotahi has conducted a community survey assessing possible permanent fixes.

The crossing closed in April 2022 because of safety concerns over the derailment risk created by low vehicles striking the rail tracks.

Since then, signs have been in place, directing traffic around detours of Holland, Waverley and Seddon roads.

According to NZTA, the results of the survey showed the community feels strongly about the closure, but when it came to preferred fixes, opinions were split.

The survey received 254 replies, of which 72 per cent said the closure had been negative, 22 per cent said the closure was neutral, and 6 per cent said it was positive.

A possible fix suggested in the survey was to close Holland Rd westbound from the rail crossing as a way to lower the cost of the work required to make the crossing safe and the project more affordable.

Of those that expressed a view in the survey, 38 per cent were in favour, 35 per cent opposed and 27 per cent were neutral.

NZTA acting regional manager of maintenance and operations Roger Brady said he was pleased with the community’s engagement in the survey.

“It’s clear that the crossing continues to have an impact on many members of the community, and safety remains the main concern of KiwiRail and NZTA at this crossing.

“We will continue to work with our partners and the community to determine the future of the crossing.”

No funding is available for the necessary work to allow the crossing to reopen within the current funding cycle, the 2021 to 2024 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP).

However, the project has been put forward for consideration in the 2024 to 2027 NLTP process.

• For more information on the project visit nzta.govt.nz/projects/sh1b-telephone-road-rail-crossing/.
• For the latest traffic updates check out journeys.nzta.govt.nz/traffic

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