page_title: Dunedin-Waitati Highway
section_title: Leith Saddle
hierarchical_section_title: Dunedin-Waitati Highway / Improvements / Leith Saddle
caption_attribution_description: English: Leith_saddle.jpg Leith Saddle near Dunedin, New Zealand: a strategic point where New Zealand's State Highway 1 traverses a fragile alpine forest dominated by Libocedrus bidwillii (visible on the skyline at right). Proposed road works to straighten a dangerous corner here conflict with conservation values.
context_page_description: Dunedin–Waitati Highway, formerly called Dunedin Northern Motorway, is a two-to-four-lane limited-access road which provides the main route north from the city of Dunedin, New Zealand. Opened on 14 December 1957, it superseded the narrow and winding routes via Port Chalmers and Mount Cargill. The road is occasionally briefly closed by snowfall in winter.
context_section_description: Transit New Zealand signalled in 2004 its long term intention was to re-align SH1 in the vicinity of Leith Saddle, which would require some removal of old-growth forest
  The forest here features a species of Libocedrus, variously called Pahautea, Kaikawaka or New Zealand cedar, Libocedrus bidwillii, which is unusual in this region of New Zealand.Transit New Zealand stated in 2004 that Leith Saddle has 250% more crashes than average for the New Zealand state highway network and that the accident rate increased by 50% in the ten years to 2004. They said realignment here would reduce traffic delays, fuel use, crashes, and emissions of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide.
caption: Leith Saddle is a strategic point where the motorway traverses a fragile alpine forest dominated by Libocedrus bidwillii (visible on the skyline at right). Proposed road works to straighten a dangerous corner here conflict with conservation values.
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