Construction work ramps up on Taupō Town Centre Transformation project
A key piece of the puzzle for the Taupō Town Centre Transformation project is about to get underway, with the upgrade to Tongariro Street set to begin next week.
The project is a two-year programme of work that received $20.6 million in government funding to transform our town centre and create an even more vibrant, thriving and people-friendly destination.
Project manager Travis Delich said the upgrade to Tongariro Street is an important part of delivering on these goals.
“While you currently have through-traffic moving along this four-lane route, the aim of this project is to move this traffic over to Titiraupenga Street and create a much-more people-friendly environment along Tongariro Street.
“You will see a reduction to two lanes and a slower speed zone in this area, along with important improvements for pedestrians and cyclists – including pedestrian islands and a dedicated cycle lane running adjacent to the Domain.
“There will also be better linkages between the CBD, Tongariro Domain and Lake Terrace along with additional outdoor dining spaces.
“While we have included important pedestrian and cycling improvements, we are also substantially increasing the number of shopper car parks to ensure we are continuing to cater to a variety of modes of transport,” he said.
The first phase of work will start on 2 August with the removal of the current centre traffic island south of Spa Road roundabout to te Heuheu Street. It will then be concentrated between the Tamamutu Street and te Heuheu Street intersections, before moving onto the next ‘block’. This phase is expected to be underway through until the end of November, weather permitting.
Camex Civil is delivering this phase of the project and will be working to minimise disruption as much as possible. However, to allow construction to take place, Tongariro Street will be reduced to one lane north and south, from Spa Road to te Heuheu Street as part of this first block of construction work. There will also be restricted access into, and out of, Tamamutu Street from Tongariro Street. Throughout construction, there will be some further road closures, which will be clearly sign-posted when they occur.
Bus stops normally on upper Tongariro Street will be temporarily relocated to Paora Hapi Street, in front of the old St Johns building from 31 July through until the end of construction.
“We’re excited to see these changes starting to take shape, bringing us closer to the goal of creating an amazing town centre that will attract more people to come and spend time in. Of course, it’s just as exciting that when this part of the project comes online, we will be up to close to 110 jobs created as a result of this project, which is one of the key outcomes of this project,” Mr Delich said.
Titiraupenga Street upgrade moves to te Heuheu Street
Over on Titiraupenga Street, construction works will move from Horomatangi Street to te Heuheu Street starting on Monday, August 2, to begin the upgrade of this next intersection.
This upgrade includes the addition of traffic lights to support the change in priority along this stretch of road. There will also be significantly improved pedestrian and cycling access on all four corners of the intersection. Once complete, traffic travelling along Titiraupenga Street will have priority.
Construction here will include each corner of the intersection upgraded consecutively, starting on the north-east (park side) and moving clockwise from there. Each corner is expected to take six days to complete, weather permitting with basic traffic management allowing the intersection to be open at all times.
Once this is complete, there will then be a seven-day full intersection road closure to allow for the pavement laying to take place. In total, we are expecting this to take five weeks to complete, all going to plan.
Spa Road plans to align with investigation into the northern gateway
Over on Spa Road, an investigation into the options for the northern gateway was recently brought forward to Year Five of the Long-term Plan. Alongside this, council has been listening carefully to community feedback regarding the timing of the proposed Spa Road upgrades as part of this project.
As a result, the timing for any changes to both the Spa Road roundabout and Spa Road / Gascoigne Street / Nukuhau Street intersection will now line up with the investigation into the northern gateway, falling outside of this project. In the short term, the modelling shows that the flow of traffic will remain unaffected by this.
Chief executive Gareth Green said this decision provides for better alignment with major changes to the northern gateway.
“This not only aligns with community feedback but also allows us to utilise government funding for the project in the most effective manner to transform our lakefront and deliver on our aims of the transformation project.
“We will, of course, continue to work closely with our partners and the community to ensure the best approach for the northern gateway, including seeking further government funding for this,” he said.
The Spa Road / Titiraupenga Street changes, including traffic lights, are still scheduled to take place later this year, as part of our change in priority along Titiraupenga Street.