Nu-Guard® 31 Steel Guardrail system a hit with installers

The SH1 Northern Motorway extension known as ALPURT B2 opened to the public in January this year creating a four-lane highway from the Bombay Hills through to the Johnson Hill tunnel.

The NZTA has, since the opening of the extension, focused their attention on upgrading the section of road between Puhoi and Warkworth with safety features to match the $365 million new toll road, which carries between 12,000 and 14,000 vehicles daily.

New guardrail, terminal ends, road surfacing and increased shoulder widths are some of the safety features that have been installed to ensure the road handles the large volume of traffic travelling this section of SH1.

"It was necessary for this section of road to be upgraded in line with the standard of the new toll road," said Colin Dawson, Roading Engineer for Transfield Services. "When heading northbound the traffic requires 'calming' as it departs the new tunnel, so extensive work has taken place in upgrading the road barriers and terminal ends to achieve this."

During the winter months approximately 2 km of Nu-Guard® 31 Steel Guardrail system and 20 X-350 Terminal Ends were installed on either side of the road in sections typically 100 metres long.