Route
SH1 traverses Dunedin as two multiple-lane one-way streets, travelling past the University of Otago and the CBD before rejoining as a single multiple-lane road at the Andersons Bay intersection; a busy signal-controlled "T" intersection with SH1 and Andersons Bay Road in South Dunedin.
From the intersection SH1 becomes a four lane median-divided road for 700 metres, crossing King Edward Street (South Dunedin's main street) on twin overbridges at Kensington, until near the Glen, just north of Carisbrook, where it narrows to a two-lane undivided road. The southbound lanes merge into one, while the northbound carriageway gains a lane from the South Road on-ramp. While this section meets most technical definitions of a motorway with full limited access including no pedestrian or cycle traffic, it is not designated a motorway by the NZ Transport Agency due to its short length.
SH1 continues south as a two-lane limited-access road past Carisbrook and Caversham. The Main South Line parallels SH1 along the east side of the road. Known as the Caversham bypass, this section is subject to congestion during the morning and afternoon weekday peaks, being a bottleneck between the four-lane sections of SH1 immediately to the north and south.
From Andersons Bay to Barnes Drive, at the south end of Caversham, SH1 has an 80 km/h speed limit.
At the base of Calton Hill, SH1 intersects with Barnes Drive at a signal-controlled intersection. Here SH1 becomes a four-lane road before climbing over Calton Hill to Lookout Point. This section is residential arterial road with houses upon both sides and a 50 km/h speed limit enforced by a fixed speed camera about one third of the way up the hill. There are proposals to widen this road to connect the Caversham bypass with the motorway to the south.
Near the crest of Lookout Point, SH1 retains priority through an off-set intersection with Mornington Road and South Road, before heading southwards over the crest. At this point the motorway begins, with a concrete median divider and an increase in the speed limit to 100 km/h.
The motorway winds relatively steeply down past the site of the former Burnside Freezing Works, and crosses the Main South Road/Kaikorai Valley Road interchange on a bridge.
Once on the flat of the Kaikorai Valley the motorway passes underneath the northbound on-ramp from Green Island before passing between the suburbs of Green Island and Abbotsford to the Green Island/Sunnyvale interchange.
Beyond this interchange the motorway crosses the Kaikorai Estuary and bisects the suburb of Fairfield. There is a half diamond interchange at Old Brighton Road (northbound on, southbound off) before the motorway climbs towards its highest point, crossing a ridge of Saddle Hill. (A new overbridge was constructed to take Old Brighton Rd over the new motorway. This was named after W.G (Bill) Auld MBE, a local resident and dignatory who was a staunch advocate for the motorway bypassing Fairfield. He died shortly before the completion of the motorway but on the day of his funeral was 'driven' down the route he fought hard to implement.) There is another half-diamond interchange (northbound off, southbound on) and a separate overbridge for Morris Road.
The motorway then descends from the slopes of Saddle Hill onto the floodplain of the Taieri River at Mosgiel. There is a full diamond interchange with SH 87, the primary access to Mosgiel from SH1. At this point the motorway narrows to a two-lane undivided road. The motorway designation continues for a further 600 metres before continuing through the suburb of East Taieri.
Read more about this topic: Dunedin Southern Motorway
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