An engineering company has won an award for its safety upgrades to Karangahake Gorge Road, west of Waihi.

A worrying increase in crashes on the notorious stretch of highway prompted the New Zealand Transport Agency to commission a safety report by Opus International Consultants, which won a Silver Award at the Association of Consulting Engineers of New Zealand Awards on Saturday, July 25.
The safety report led to safety innovations such as an 80km/hr speed zone in a rural setting and a low cost option to achieve extra width at the narrowest section of the State Highway. This avoided the high cost of building a bridge.
Since the safety improvements were implemented three years ago the social cost of accidents has averaged $5.6 million per year, compared with an annual average of $10.5 million for the three years prior.
The cost of the traffic engineering improvements was $460,000.