Ferguson and Pitt Street intersection upgrade

We upgraded the intersection at Ferguson and Pitt Streets in 2023 to make it safer for everyone, and to help traffic flow around our city centre more smoothly.

We made several improvements from Pak'nSave, including:

  • Installing traffic lights at the Ferguson-Pitt intersection.
  • Widening the road to four lanes.
  • Pedestrian-controlled traffic lights at the Pak ‘n Save fuel station to get across Ferguson Street.
  • A wider footpath by Palmerston North Intermediate Normal School.
  • Minor changes to Linton-Ferguson intersection to prevent right turns across four lanes of traffic.

 

Safety was the driver of these changes

In the 10 years leading up to 2023, there were more than 34 crashes along this stretch of road.

One was fatal and 17 caused injuries, but those only account for crashes where police were called to the scene. There are likely more crashes that were not reported.

Aerial view of the accident-prone intersection of Ferguson and Pitt Streets.
This image shows the notorious Pitt Street intersection prior to construction.

This intersection is part of the Palmerston North Integrated Transport Improvement project

Waka Kotahi/NZTA is developing a business case for a package of roading interventions collectively known as the Palmerston North Integrated Transport improvement (PNITI) project.

Ferguson and Pitt Streets are part of our inner city ring road, which is a critical component of our plan for growing economic prosperity and liveability in Palmy. While we upgrade our city centre streets to maximise the safety and vibrancy of our public spaces, we’re also constantly monitoring and assessing how vehicles and people move around. In time, our city centre’s lights will be phased to prioritise pedestrians more. However, around the ring road, this will be the opposite, and we have phased the lights to prioritise motorists and give them more opportunities to move efficiently.

The centrepiece of PNITI is the Regional Freight Ring Road (Ring Road), which will run around the outskirts of Palmerston North, connecting key industrial areas such as the North East Industrial Zone, the planned KiwiRail Freight Hub, Feilding and state highways to the north, and Longburn and Linton Military Camp to the south. The Ring Road is a critical component of our plan for growing economic prosperity and liveability in the city.

You can read more about PNITI on the NZTA website.

Location

Ferguson Street, Palmerston North Central   View Map

Google Map
Back to top