Variable speed limits will be extended on sections of State Highways 16 and 20 around the Waterview Tunnel to allow maximum speeds of 100kph.

“We want to ensure that people‘s journeys on the motorway are as safe and easy as we can make them,” says Brett Gliddon, New Zealand Transport Agency system design manager. “Variable speeds are increasingly being used to match speed limits with the conditions and provide the right balance between safety and keeping traffic flowing smoothly.”

Gliddon says since opening the Waterview Tunnel NZTA has been monitoring the operational and safety performance on the state highways around the tunnel, as well as taking on board customer and stakeholder feedback.

“The motorway system around the tunnel and through the central motorway junction is complex, with higher traffic volumes and a significant amount of lane changing, and the speed limits need to reflect these conditions while also ensuring we keep motorists safe.”

Speed limits inside the tunnel will remain at 80km/h to manage the higher risks associated with an enclosed tunnel environment.

Additional physical infrastructure needs to be installed on the motorway system, and a legal process, currently underway, must be completed before the variable speed limits can be put in place.