The Queenstown Lakes District Council says contractors are making up for time lost during Alert Level 4 as they press on with a swag of construction projects around the town centre.
Property and infrastructure general manager Peter Hansby said the lockdown caused some delays, but the council was working with contractors to hit their targets before the peak summer trading arrived.
The projects are being driven by the Wakatipu Transport Programme Alliance Ka Huanui a Tahuna, a partnership between the Government, council, mana whenua and the NZ Transport Agency.
They are being financed by council and government ‘‘shovel ready’’ Covid-19 recovery funding. Guy Williams outlines the progress of each project.
(1) Upper Beach St
The Level 4 lockdown has affected this part of the street upgrade project, although the installation of utilities is expected to be completed before construction is paused from December 17 to January 24, when the fences will come down and the street reopens for the summer holidays.
Paving of the pedestrian-only street, along with the installation of new lighting, street furniture, trees and signs, is due to be completed before Easter.
(2) Town centre arterial road first stage
Construction of the $65 million first stage, which will link and upgrade Melbourne and Henry Sts, started on Tuesday with work on a new stormwater line along Suburb St from Frankton Rd to Park St, which will include a stormwater outfall into Lake Wakatipu.
This initial work will be completed in 50-metre sections, and is expected to take about three months.
The first stage is expected to take three years.
(3) Man and Camp Sts roundabout
Contractors have about another month of work to do on installing the water main running under the roundabout, and the council says it is taking longer than expected to navigate through 35 live services also running through the roundabout.
Access to Duke St will then be reopened.
It will then take about two weeks to connect the final stage of the wastewater line, which means all utilities will be completed, and Man St fully reopened, about mid-November.
(4) Lower Beach St
The installation of utilities is nearly complete, and a milestone was reached last Friday, when concrete was poured for the first section of the street’s base.
After the remaining sections of slab are poured, paving is expected to start in about three weeks, and completion is due before the summer holidays start.
The upgrade of nearby Rees St is planned to start in the new year.
The new pump station in the Recreation Ground is expected to be switched on for the first time in about four months.
(5) Brecon St
Work on this section of the $60 million town centre street upgrade started on Monday. One of the first jobs was to be the felling of five eucalyptus trees to make way for the eventual construction of a four metre-wide walking and cycling path.
However, after an outcry from local arborists, the New Zealand Notable Trees Trust, Forest & Bird and the New Zealand
Arboricultural Association, the council put the felling on hold while an ecological report is prepared to check if native birds are nesting in them.
Trees aside, the project is expected to take a year to complete, with a pause between December 24 and January 10.
It includes an upgrade of the water, wastewater and stormwater pipes in the area to support the Lakeview development.
Park St/Hotops Rise (not pictured)
Work on this section of the street upgrade project is continuing with the installation of water mains and wastewater and stormwater pipes.
That will be followed by the construction of a five-metre-wide walking and cycling path, all expected to be finished before Christmas.
The council has reconsidered its plans for a new cycle path along Hotops Rise after realising how many trees would have to be felled. Staff have proposed replanting with native trees and shrubs. It will go to councillors for sign-off next month.
