Lake Street to close for two months
Lake Street will close from this Friday, 28 August, for about two months to allow for the final stages of work to upgrade Man Street.
The news, announced late Friday afternoon by Queenstown Lakes District Council, is sure to irk Fernhill commuters who've struggled through rush-hour traffic in recent months on Lake Esplanade and through the CBD, while the Lake St-Man St alternative route has been closed.
QLDC Property and Infrastructure general manager Tony Avery acknowledges the two-month closure will potentially cause delays during peak times and says the decision was not taken lightly.
"The Kā Huanui a Tāhuna team has carefully considered all possible options and worked closely with traffic safety management specialists before making the decision that we need to temporarily close the road," he says.
"Unfortunately, maintaining one lane on stop / go traffic management was not considered safe given the steepness of the street and the increased number of heavy vehicles required to complete the work.
"The team will be making every effort to complete the work as quickly as possible and minimise the closure period."
The work is part of the infrastructure upgrades required to enable development of the land at Lakeview.
"It involves rebuilding Man Street from Lakeview to Brecon Street, following the successful installation of underground water, stormwater and wastewater services.
"This includes a wide shared path as far as Hay Street, the rebuild of road foundations in preparation for sealing, raised safety platforms to slow down traffic and the installation of traffic lights to better manage the Man - Brecon Street intersection.
"We will closely monitor the effects on traffic and maintain contact with the Wellington Transport Operations Centre which operates traffic lights across the South Island. However, we also ask that drivers be patient, allow extra time if travelling through town to and from Fernhill and beyond or consider travelling outside of peak times where this is possible."
