PHOTO
A further Dunedin bus hub delay has a nearby business owner saying the Otago Regional Council cannot be trusted.
The latest hold-up pushes the project more than four months out from the date set when a detailed work plan was released by the council last June.
It makes the operation date more than two years out from that which was expected when the idea was first proposed.
The council's Great King St hub is planned to be the centre of the city's bus network.
The project is set to be completed on March 10, but is not expected to become operational until late that month because of the need to connect, test and commission electrical equipment.
The last delay was announced in November, when it was expected to be operational early next month. This was partly due to construction stopping for six weeks over the Christmas break at the request of some businesses in the area.
Council support services manager Gerard Collings said even with its present goal, the work was still weather dependent.
However, the delay would likely only be slight, he said.
The most recent delay was still due to "unforeseen ground conditions''. Workers were "busting their gut'' to get the work done, he said.
"But there's certain work that they can't do in the evening because they need natural light.''
The council felt for affected businesses, he said.
It was working with contractors to get work finished as quickly as possible without jeopardising the quality of the product.
Several businesses in the area have expressed frustration at the continued delays.
Smiths Sport Shoes co-owner Greg Lapwood said the work was "just dragging on''.
"I don't trust them because they made all these promises about how when they came back in January they'd be working day and night.
"January, February and March are my biggest months. It's hurting me quite a bit.''
Construction was confusing for people and had heavily impacted sales at his Great King St shop.