His awareness of particular congestion issues in Frankton was shared by Prime Minister John Key, who visited Queenstown at the weekend, and the resort's former electorate MP, Finance Minister Bill English.
‘‘We know that in transport we need to ensure we're enabling that growth to continue,'' Mr Bridges said.
Traffic flows would be alleviated as a result of improvements to the Frankton roundabout this year, replacement of the single-lane Kawarau Falls bridge and a start on the eastern access road in the third quarter of this year.
Mr Bridges spoke to the Otago Daily Times yesterday after the official opening of the Glenda Dr intersection at Frankton Flats.
He provided the first concrete time frame for a start to the long-awaited eastern access road, which will link Frankton and State Highway 6 by a route behind Queenstown Airport.
Construction of the road, which has been named Hawthorne Dr, is expected to begin by the end of September.
Mr Bridges said he understood the frustrations of residents and developers waiting for the road.
‘‘I'm glad we can at least give some certainty to locals, including the development community, that we will begin construction on that.''
The $8.2million Glenda Dr project was jointly funded by the New Zealand Transport Agency ($3.4million), the Queenstown Lakes District Council ($3.5million) and Frankton Flats developers ($1.3million).
Roundabouts were built at the intersection of Glenda Dr and SH6, and on the first section of the future eastern arterial road.
NZTA southern business unit manager Ian Duncan said strong growth in commercial development in Frankton Flats was expected to continue for at least another decade.
‘‘This makes it essential that the capacity of the road network in this area continues to keep pace with that growth and that safety for road users and residents is a top priority.''
Planned work included more ‘‘efficient connections'' between Glenda Dr and the replacement Kawarau Falls Bridge.
The two-lane bridge is expected to be completed by spring next year.
