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Dunedin commuters are warned to expect delays as work begins on creating a new central city bypass.
The Dunedin City Council is undertaking significant changes to roading in the city’s wharf area to create the bypass for traffic to avoid the city’s one-way system and the new Dunedin Hospital site.
The first stage of a four-stage, six-year upgrade is set to begin later this month in the Wharf St area, a significant access route to and from the central city for commuters from eastern and southern Dunedin suburbs.
Site preparation for work to upgrade the intersections of Wharf St with Kitchener, Roberts and Birch Sts, including the installation of traffic lights at the intersection of Wharf and Kitchener Sts, will begin on October 26.
Council senior project manager Susil Gunathilake said the traffic lights were needed to allow access to and from the harbour basin area, as traffic volumes on Wharf St continued to increase.
The lights would also work with the planned intersection reconfigurations and turning movement restrictions at the Roberts St and Birch St intersections.
‘‘The changes proposed at the three intersections are expected to provide safety and efficiency improvements for all users of the roads through this area,” he said.
This stage of the arterial route work is to cost $1.6 million and be completed by March 2022.
When the route is completed it will go from Andersons Bay Rd in the south, on to Strathallan St, Wharf St, Thomas Burns St, to the overbridge on to Anzac Ave, from where traffic will either travel back on to State Highway1 heading north via Frederick St, or turn on to SH88 towards Port Chalmers.
The main east-west route in St Andrew St will be moved to Frederick St.
The route changes, which are intended to provide a faster, more efficient alternative route through the city during the new Dunedin Hospital build and the four stages of the route upgrade, are expected to be completed by 2027.
Council group manager transport Jeanine Benson said the harbour corridor would become a faster and easier route into and around the central city, and would be better able to cope with the extra traffic expected to use it during construction of the new hospital.
The council’s website says about 16,600 vehicles a day travel along the Wharf St route.
“At the same time, we’re making the area safer and more accessible for commuters who want to travel in alternative ways such as cycling and walking.
‘‘We’ll be widening and adding more sections of shared path and improving crossings.
‘‘There will also be new footpaths, traffic islands and landscaping.”
Detours would be in place and some work would be carried out at night to minimise delays.
Work will stop over Christmas and New Year.
The whole harbour arterial project is to cost $16.6million.
The council’s share is $8.1million and the rest is funded by the NZ Transport Agency.
Harbour arterial project