Queenstown mayor Glyn Lewers is questioning why it’ll take about four years to upgrade a critical local intersection.
The first sod, signalling the beginning of a $115 million roadworks project at the BP roundabout — estimated for completion in January, 2028, though it’s understood there’s an additional two years’ contingency — was turned earlier this afternoon.
Lewers tells Mountain Scene while there’s never a good time to do works of this scale at one of the South Island’s busiest intersections, he believes the timeframe provided by NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, in conjunction with the Alliance, needs to be seriously examined.
‘‘Given the criticality of the intersection, four years is concerning,’’ he says.
The planned roadworks will see the BP roundabout eventually be replaced by traffic lights, and there’ll be large changes to State Highway 6 and 6A.
To be completed over six stages, including the current ‘‘stage zero’’, concentrating on enabling works, it’s focused on bus priority lanes and
improved bus facilities and pedestrian access, active modes, intersection improvements, alterations to parking and access for the Frankton Golf Centre, undergrounding of power lines, and increased capacity for network utilities.
Once later stages of the overall project come to fruition, there’ll be 18 sets of traffic lights installed along the state highway network, including at McBride St, Frankton Marina, Goldfield Heights, Hensman Rd, Lucas Pl, Humphrey St, Joe O’Connell Dr and Hansen Rd.
There’s also another roundabout planned at the intersection of SH6 with Howards Dr, and a new bus lane.
In a statement, NZTA says: ‘‘The proposed work is not aimed at making room for more cars on the road, rather making public transport more accessible.’’
While the first sod was being turned today, NZTA couldn’t provide an actual start date for the project by Scene deadline, however, its approved outline plan indicates work is planned to start in October.
Lewers: ‘‘We’re happy it’s happening, but if they could just have a look at the programming a little bit harder and see if they could expedite it.’’
Formed by NZTA, Queenstown’s council, Beca, WSP, Downer NZ and Fulton Hogan, the Alliance has recently come under fire for delays and budget blowouts completing stage one of Queenstown’s arterial road.
Lewers tells Scene he’s hopeful the next project will run more smoothly.
‘‘Hopefully they’ve got the underground services mapped correctly and they know exactly what’s underneath the ground — I think that’s probably one of the key learnings out of the arterial project, we didn’t know exactly what was underneath the ground.’’
He believes the Alliance also has a ‘‘better handle’’ on the full design of this project.
‘‘When they went to estimate costs for the arterial originally, the design drawings weren’t to the required level for nailing down an estimate that wasn’t as reliable as it could have been.’’
He’s also hopeful they’ve learned lessons in terms of communicating with residents and businesses on what’s happening, and following up with them.
Finish-line draws closer
Queenstown’s upper Suburb and Dublin streets will reopen to traffic from Monday, weather-dependent.
Part of the first stage of the drawn-out arterial road project, Queenstown council property and infrastructure GM Tony Avery says the construction crew will now swap to the other side of Frankton Rd to complete the final service upgrades.
It means lower Suburb St will be closed till September.
Avery’s also expecting the Melbourne St/Frankton Rd intersection to reopen to traffic mid next month, while two-way traffic and a 30kmh
speed limit will continue along Frankton Rd, between Suburb and Melbourne streets.
The first stage of the arterial road’s expected to be open in December.
