Milton’s prolonged State Highway 1 roadworks continue to test local businesses, with Four Square Tokomairiro’s new owners adapting to months of restricted access outside their front door. The supermarket remains open despite the disruption, although northbound access has been affected while water infrastructure work continues along Union St. New owner-operators Phil and Ruth Bell recently moved to Milton after nearly nine years running Four Square Wakefield, near Nelson. For Phil, the move was a return to Otago, where his family originated, while Ruth has relocated. “Coming back to Milton really feels like coming home,’’ he said. ‘‘We’ve received a really warm welcome and we’re enjoying becoming part of the town. “Having long-term roadworks outside the store obviously isn’t ideal but we’re focused on doing what we can in the situation … and making sure the store is a place locals enjoy shopping in.’’ Suppliers’ delivery vehicles were stocking the store as normal and customers could continue to rely on access to a full range. [Missing Credit]Traffic running parallel to the excavations on Union St, SH1, Milton. Photo: Nick Brook Residents had said they believed the cause of the delay was the decision to excavate a single, continuous trench through the drained former wetland, rather than working in shorter, contained sections. Heavy traffic continuing to pass along SH1 only metres from the excavation contributed to the soft ground collapsing eastwards into the trench, they said. Mr Bell said he was looking forward to normal access being restored and understood his neighbours’ frustration, but accepted it was all part of a necessary upgrade to new infrastructure. “With things like this, it’s easy to lose customers and harder to get them back, but our focus is on providing great service, making improvements and ensuring locals can still easily access the groceries and essentials they need.”
