The traffic lights at the Thames-Eden Sts intersection - part of a $3.1 million safety project by the New Zealand Transport Agency on State Highway 1 through central Oamaru - will be switched on then.
As part of the project, there will be five sets of traffic lights on SH1 between Thames-Severn-Coquet Sts intersection and Ouse St.
At present, Oamaru has only a set of lights for pedestrians midway in the Thames-Severn-Coquet Sts to Eden St block, but not at its intersections. Intersections on SH1 have been controlled by roundabouts and "give way" signs.
NZTA regional highways manager Murray Clarke said yesterday the Thames-Eden Sts traffic lights were being activated first so the existing pedestrian crossing lights could be removed and components reused at the Ouse-Thames Sts intersection lights.
The remaining four sets of traffic lights, expected to be operating by the end of March once paving and road marking work is finished, are at Thames-Severn-Coquet Sts, Ribble-Thames, Usk-Thames and Ouse-Thames intersections.
"Once all five new traffic signals are operating, there should be a marked improvement in traffic flows and pedestrian safety along Thames St between Orwell and Coquet Sts," Mr Clarke said.
NZTA regional projects manager Simon Underwood said contractor Fulton Hogan would watch for any problems at the Thames-Eden Sts intersection when the lights were switched on. The area is already subject to a 30kmh speed restriction during the project.
"The intersection concerned is in the heart of the area which is under heavy traffic management control, so I don't expect it to be an issue," he said yesterday.
Once all traffic signals were operating and the contractor's work completed, there would be warning signs at each highway approach to the first set of signals motorists encountered, Mr Underwood said.
All Oamaru's traffic lights would be synchronised and linked to the Dunedin City Council's traffic control centre for monitoring.
Sensors on the intersections would detect how much traffic there was and adjust the signal phases as required.
That would be monitored and, where needed, adjusted at the Dunedin City Council's traffic control centre. The Dunedin centre would also be notified of any faults with the Oamaru lights.
The project is to reduce the number and severity of crashes on the section of Thames St from Orwell St to just south of Coquet St.
The crash rate on this section of highway is much higher than expected for this type of urban state highway.
