A collaborative effort between the Judds Road Steering Group, Masterton District Council and KiwiRail has identified a great outcome for Judds Road that will address safety concerns at the level crossing, and means the road can stay open.
The design involves one-way access into Judds Road from Ngaumutawa Road, along with traffic islands to prevent traffic from exiting onto Ngaumutawa Road.
KiwiRail Programme Director Andy Lyon says the proposal is practical, affordable and achieves a good balance between safety and amenity for the community.
“We’re really pleased to have a solution that removes the risk of short stacking (vehicles left sitting over the railway tracks while waiting to turn) without the need for expensive traffic lights or closing the road.
“We know that ideally the community would have preferred to keep the access into Judds Road two-way. We originally drew up an option to allow for that, but it required traffic lights and other roading changes that made it unaffordable. Based on the current proposal, KiwiRail can cover the cost as part of the level crossing upgrade which includes barrier arms, lights and bells, and associated safety features such as traffic islands on Judds Road.
“We’re mindful of the compromise that’s been made and appreciate the opportunity to work together to progress this latest solution.
“We will work closely with Masterton District Council to refine the final design. Ideally we want to avoid changes to Ngaumutawa Road, as the cost of this work would be beyond the funding allowances of the rail upgrades.
“We look forward to getting work underway on the Judds Road level crossing upgrade later this year.”
John Cockburn, Chair of the Judds Road Steering Group, says “We are encouraged by KiwiRail’s commitment to organise a meeting of all stakeholders later in the month to discuss the longer-term options for the crossing to support a growing population, and we will certainly be tabling our concerns with traffic flow into High Street at that time.
“We’ve worked for two years on behalf of the community to achieve this outcome and although it does not meet the goal we set out to achieve, it is a compromise position that is certainly far better than seeing the intersection close for good.
“An independent review carried out by KiwiRail’s own consultants, Aurecon, recommended keeping the crossing open if safety concerns were addressed to avoid an economic cost to the community of $2.7m per annum.”
KiwiRail is midway through its work to upgrade the Wairarapa line ready for the arrival of faster and more frequent services from 2029.
For more information about Wellington’s rail improvement work please see our website: https://www.kiwirail.co.nz/our-network/our-regions/wellington
ENDS