Downtown roads set to reopen today

Queenstown’s town centre will receive a welcome boost just in time for King’s Birthday weekend, with Gorge Road, Ballarat Street and Athol Street all reopening at 5pm today, Friday 30 May.

Gorge Road will reopen to two-way traffic after work to replace 32m of wastewater pipe was completed ahead of schedule.

At the intersection of Athol and Ballarat Streets, the final stormwater connection and upgrades to the outfall structure at Horne Creek are complete, while the pedestrian crossing on Athol Street has been reinstated, along with the new kerb, footpath and road surface.

This will also see the temporary coach stop on Stanley Street relocated back to its usual position on Athol Street, allowing the Stanley Street carpark to be fully reinstated.

While both Athol and Ballarat Streets will be open to traffic and pedestrians, some final work will continue in the area to install schist stone on the bridge, reinstate a garden bed, install a safety handrail and remove scaffolding. Some fencing will remain in place to ensure the safety of workers on-site.

Minimal disruption is expected while these final improvements are made to the area.

Queenstown Lakes District Council Property & Infrastructure General Manager Tony Avery says this marks a significant milestone in the arterial project.

“The reopening of Athol and Ballarat Streets will mean a much smaller presence of road workers in the town centre. We know the extended period of disruption has been challenging, particularly for businesses and residents in and around Ballarat Street, and we want to say a big thank you to everyone as we finish the last few tasks.”