Street readied for opening

Contractors work on the  Balclutha main street project. Photo by Samuel White.
Contractors work on the Balclutha main street project. Photo by Samuel White.

Balclutha's main street upgrade will be officially opened this weekend.

Although the upgrade was meant to be finished by now, there was still a little bit of work to go, Clutha Mayor Bryan Cadogan said.

While a few ''cosmetic details'' had to be completed, the vast majority of work was finished and ''for all intents and purposes, the job is finished''.

Contractors will continue to work this week and stop on Friday before returning next year to finish the upgrade.

The $2.71 million project began in May and will officially be opened on Saturday by Clutha-Southland MP Todd Barclay and Mr Cadogan.

Clutha District Council service delivery manager Jules Witt said it was expected the project would be ''slightly over budget''.

The council had spent $1.8 million on the upgrade so far, which was just under the budget for this stage of the project, but there was still work to do.

The final cost would not be known until March, when final claims from contractors were received.

Mr Cadogan said the street would be ready for the opening in the weekend. He said all ''contractor evidence'', such as road signs, barriers and cones would be removed.

Tarsealing work on the street would continue over the Christmas period but only at night, Mr Cadogan said.

This was in consideration of the needs of retailers and customers. Mr Cadogan said he was thrilled with the upgrade, especially by what it meant for the district as a whole.

''We're going to have a beautiful main street to celebrate on Saturday, that's for sure,'' he said.

The upgrades fitted with the council's overall plan for the district's development and growth.

Despite the delays, the council believed the project was a success and positive feedback had been received from residents and business owners.

The opening ceremony will be held at 12.40pm on Saturday at the corner of Elizabeth and Clyde Sts. It will be followed by the Christmas Parade at 1pm.

samuel.white@odt.co.nz

Add a Comment