A cyclist passes through a section of the northbound cycle-lane that has had concrete barriers removed beside the new Dunedin hospital inpatient site. PHOTO: GERARD O’BRIEN

This is going to be disruptive down St Andrew St.

In fact, Health New Zealand (HNZ) has advised it has the potential to be ‘‘very highly disruptive’’.

As the big cranes arrive and more people begin working at the new Dunedin hospital site, there are going to be changes to the roads around the site.

There was criticism of the new hospital site being surrounded by state highways, and those highways are going to be squeezed over the next month.

It started this week with changes to Cumberland St, which were described as being "very low disruptive".

New Dunedin hospital inpatient building project director Tony Lloyd said the changes on Cumberland St were designed to improve safety for all road users while maintaining access to the site.

The contractor had now removed the concrete separators between the cycle lane and the right-hand traffic lane and would install similar separators to those used on Castle St.

An upgrade was also being made at the hospital site entrance, including the creation of a dedicated construction vehicle turning lane, allowing traffic to continue flowing freely while construction vehicles enter the site.

To improve cyclist safety, the cycleway would be redirected to the existing footpath adjacent to the site entrance, providing cyclists with additional space and separation from traffic.

A controlled signal system would also be installed at the site entrance. The signals will co-ordinate movements of cyclists and construction vehicles, ensuring cyclists pass safely through the area while managing vehicle access.

The traffic management changes were being implemented to support safe construction activity while minimising disruption for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians, Mr Lloyd said.

An earlier note about road changes around the site said there would also be changes to St Andrew St, where it runs between Cumberland and Castle Sts. They were described as having the potential to be "very disruptive".

Tomorrow night, weather permitting, an MRI scanner and a CT scanner will be installed in the almost-complete outpatient building. That will lead to one block of St Andrew St being closed

The same block will also be closed from 6am every day for the rest of the month to allow piling for a pedestrian overbridge crossing St Andrew St linking the new outpatient and inpatient buildings.

One lane in each direction will reopen between 3pm and 6pm daily to allow vehicles to travel through St Andrew St during peak times. Traffic will not be able to turn on to the street from Cumberland or Castle Sts.

Access for emergency services will be maintained through these closures, while pedestrians will still be able to use the southern footpath on St Andrew St.