SH1 and SH88 NZTA Project Updates

NZ_Transport_Agency · 4 June 2026 03:03

|

The new Dunedin Out Patients Block due to open in October.

Next steps for roading around New Dunedin Hospital

A safer, more accessible transport network for the central city and New Dunedin Hospital is a big step closer, with the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) approving design funding to improve safety and access on SH1 and SH88 St Andrew Street Dunedin.

About 200 people provided feedback on our proposed changes, and this was carefully considered when we decided what the improvements should be. Visible work on the ground will take time, as the next 12 months will focus on design. However, construction work will begin later in the year on a new signalised pedestrian crossing on SH1 Cumberland Street, near Centre City New World. This will help people move safely to and from the New Dunedin Hospital outpatients building due to open in October.

Consultation

There was general support for making it easier and safer for people walking and driving, especially around the New Dunedin Hospital and central city. Feedback was largely supportive of the proposed Barnes Dance crossing and nearby signalised pedestrian crossings at the SH1 and SH88 intersection. However, there was less support for removing the right turn into SH1 Cumberland Street North and removing some parking required to enable the improvements. People also suggested options such as overpasses or underpasses to further separate people from traffic. While those options are beyond the budget for this project, it highlighted a strong community preference for a people-focused design.More details are in the engagement summary.

Parking

Parking was the biggest area of concern in the consultation feedback. This included removing some short and long-term parking on SH1, SH88 St Andrew Street and Frederick Street, leading to calls for multi-storey parking buildings. Find more information on parking near the New Dunedin Hospital here.

Traffic and intersection changes

Views varied on the proposed traffic and intersection safety changes. Some people preferred simpler layouts and better signal timing, while others were concerned about increased congestion and the loss of familiar turning movements.

Managing the transition

To deliver the safer crossings,better access,and smoother traffic flow that people want around the New Dunedin Hospital and central city, change is inevitable. Most should be manageable but will require people to adjust their travel habits and become familiar with moving through the area in new ways.

We will do our best to maintain parking where possible and as we introduce changes, provide clear signage to help people find their way. We are confident that, with careful planning and delivery, these changes can work well. Our focus is on balancing community concerns while delivering the safety and access improvements people told us they want.

What happens next?

Overall, the consultation feedback sent a clear message: most people support a safer, more connected Dunedin around the New Dunedin Hospital and central city. We can now move ahead with the design work needed to progress the project.

More details are in the project engagement summary.

SH1 Dunedin safety improvements

Good news regarding our ongoing efforts to improve Dunedin’s SH1 one-way system. Funding has now been approved for the design phase of work focused on making key locations along this important route safer and more accessible, while ensuring traffic continues to flow smoothly.

The improvements target the stretch of the SH1 one-way system from the intersection at Pine Hill Road and Great King Street right through to the Andersons Bay Road and SH1 intersection at the Oval. The majority of feedback from our consultation was supportive of our plans, which gives us confidence that we’re heading in the right direction.See the engagement summary here.

This initiative will complement our existing highway safety and access improvements related to the new Dunedin hospital and the central city. By enhancing these key areas, we’re helping to ensure that SH1 remains a reliable and efficient transport route through the heart of Dunedin.

We look forward to sharing more updates with you as the project progresses.

More information

About our work around the New Dunedin Hospital

For more information email SH88StAndrewSt@nzta.govt.nz

Visit our website

Find more information on the New Dunedin Hospital.

About our work on the SH1 Dunedin safety improvements project

For more information email SH1Dunedin@nzta.govt.nz

Visit our website.

NZ_Transport_Agency · 19 August 2026 03:09

Safer pedestrian access to new Dunedin Hospital

Project update August 2026

A computer generated image of the New Dunedin Hospital In and Out patient buildings.

Making it safer to walk to the new Dunedin Hospital

Work is due to begin this week on the first of two new mid-block signalised pedestrian crossings on State Highway 1 (SH1)/Cumberland Street, providing safer and easier access to the New Dunedin Hospital.

The first crossing will be located outside Centre City New World supermarket, in the block between State Highway 88 (SH88)/St Andrew Street and Hanover Street in central Dunedin. This will provide a direct and safe route across SH1/Cumberland Street to the New Dunedin Hospital’s Outpatient Building, which is expected to open later this year.

A second pedestrian crossing, to be located outside Woolworths Dunedin Central in the block between SH88/St Andrew Street and Stuart Street, will be installed at a later date and connect to the new Inpatient Building, which is due to become operational in 2031.

As SH1/Cumberland Street is one of Dunedin’s busiest transport corridors, the new crossings will provide controlled points of access and encourage people to use safe crossing points when travelling to and from the new hospital. Both crossings will be integrated with Dunedin’s ‘green wave’ traffic signal system, which is designed to maintain efficient traffic flow along SH1 through the city centre.

To minimise disruption to road users and surrounding businesses, construction of the crossing outside Centre City New World will take place overnight from Monday to Friday, with one lane remaining open. Most work will occur between 7pm and 6am, when there is less traffic on the roads. The job will be delivered in several stages with completion currently expected by mid-October 2026.

The only planned full road closure will be for surfacing work associated with the installation of signal detection loops in the roadway, a task expected to be completed over one or two nights in October. Details will be provided closer to the time.

These two new pedestrian crossings are just the start of improvements to streets adjacent to the new hospital that are designed to make access safer and easier for hospital patients, visitors, and staff. Last year we sought feedback on a series of changes that included a new Barnes Dance crossing (where all pedestrians cross the road at once) at the SH88/St Andrew Street and SH1/Cumberland Street intersection and relocating SH88 from St Andrew Street to Frederick Street. A copy of the engagement summary can be found here

Most of these changes are still in the design phase and will require funding approval before construction can begin. Read more about these improvements here

The New Dunedin Hospital is a significant investment in the city’s future health services. We’re working with our partners on changes to the highways surrounding the hospital to improve safety and access for everyone travelling to and from this busy area and the wider central city.

If you have any questions about this project, email us at:

SH88StAndrewSt@nzta.govt.nz