The New Zealand Transport Agency has been examining the transport corridors across the Tasman region in order to identify available prospects for making travel safer, resilient and more efficient.

The transport agency has undertaken three separate investigations at State Highway 6 Richmond Arterial, State Highway 60 Richmond to Collingwood and State Highway 60 Motueka, to address Tasman’s transport network needs.

New Zealand Transport Agency regional director Raewyn Bleakley said: “Making improvements to the Tasman transport network will help the locals who live and work in the area and others who rely on it for wider business or travel purposes.

"Making improvements to the Tasman transport network will help the locals who live and work in the area and others who rely on it for wider business or travel purposes."

“But before we confirm what we could do, we will seek comments from the Tasman community, because local input is important in informing any proposals.”

The transport agency stated that the first phase of work for the Richmond Arterial and Motueka (township) investigations are complete, and further added that the State Highway 60 Richmond to Collingwood requires additional work to better define the issues along this route.

Bleakley said that the agency will work closely with Tasman District Council, Nelson City Council and the local Tasman community to explore potential improvement opportunities.

Bleakley added: “In particular, the Motueka township investigation has highlighted specific problems along High Street, which we intend to investigate further.

"We expect improvements will concentrate on the location and visibility of the pedestrian crossings in the township and we will be developing potential designs to discuss with the community.”