Meanwhile, a Dunedin city councillor said he had to park 500m away and walk through an active worksite to speak to affected businesses in Kaikorai Valley Rd.
But the Dunedin City Council said it was ‘‘especially important’’ to get the work right and the road might not need a major renewal of this scale again for at least 25 years.
Leary St resident John Hughes said Kaikorai Valley Rd was not the only area being affected by roadworks.
Work in Barr St combined with other work, including in nearby Kenmure Rd, had caused ‘‘great frustration within the neighbourhood’’.
How to get to and from his home had become ‘‘an ongoing guessing game’’, Mr Hughes said.
Until Monday he had only received a single letter informing him of the start of work in Barr St.
‘‘Eventually, they opened one side as a one-way, but it was poorly managed and led to residents’ frustrations and many choosing to drive the wrong way up or down the one-way sections.’’
Mr Hughes received a second letter on Monday advising him a trial water shutdown would take place between 5.30pm and 6.30pm yesterday.
‘‘Why they are carrying this work out at one of the most demanding times of the day is absolute proof they are inconsiderate to the public and the residents of this area and have no regard for any disruption caused.’’
Dunedin city councillor Andrew Simms said some businesses had effectively been ‘‘landlocked’’ by the closure of the southern lanes in Kaikorai Valley Rd.
‘‘In order to visit the businesses, I had to park 500m away and then walk through an active worksite to get to the premises.’’
Those he had met acknowledged initial communication from the council was good and accepted the work was necessary, but believed the contract had not gone as smoothly as expected, Cr Simms said.
Council transport group manager Jeanine Benson said the work under way in Kaikorai Valley Rd was unrelated to the work in Barr St, which involved the renewal of a water main.
That Barr St work began in November and was due to be finished in June; residents were advised in advance.
Yesterday’s shutdown was a trial and scheduled for 5.30pm to avoid disrupting after-school activities at Balaclava School.
A further, full shutdown would be required later, but that would be scheduled for after 9pm.
Ms Benson said the Kaikorai Valley Rd work was due for completion in July, but that timeframe may be brought forward.
‘‘Staff are working closely with our contractor to identify opportunities to speed up delivery, including the use of extended shifts, specialist equipment and adding crews where practical.
‘‘Some elements of the work need to be completed in sequence, but there may be other options to compress the overall programme.’’
Improving access and clarity on the ground was a priority.
Recent site visits highlighted opportunities to make access arrangements easier to understand and the council’s contractor had been asked to focus on this, she said.
‘‘We also acknowledge the disruption caused by the works and we’re doing everything we can to minimise this.’’
