Work
is set to kick off on the highly anticipated signalised pedestrian crossing in
Ōhaupō in the coming months.
Waipā District Council awarded the
contract for the project to Base Civil Ltd at yesterday’s Service Delivery
meeting. Work is expected to start in November and will take around three
months to complete.
The new crossing
will be constructed on State Highway 3 (SH3) outside the Windy Ridge Function
Centre and the Ōhaupō Store. It will include pedestrian traffic signals,
footpath improvements on both sides of the road and extensions to the kerb on
neighbouring Great Burke Street.
Waipā District Council service
delivery group manager Dawn Inglis said the construction of the crossing had
been a long time coming.
“There’s been a bump or two in
the road along the way as we have searched for the right contractor to carry
out the works, so I’m delighted we’ve been able to bring Base Civil Ltd on
board to deliver this project.”
In addition to the
crossing, other improvements include three raised platforms: one on Great Burke
Street and two on SH3 to slow vehicle speeds, formalising carparks on Great
Burke Street and Great South Road to improve parking, and moving the bus stops
closer to the town centre and new crossing.
Inglis said Council
would be reaching out to businesses and the wider community in Ōhaupō in the
coming month to share what to expect while the works are underway.
“We want to make
sure everyone is aware of what to expect so they can take this into
consideration when planning their daily trips. However, we are working closely
with our contractor to minimise any disruption to traffic as much as possible.”
Council recently
completed improvements to the footpaths around Ōhaupō School and the pedestrian
underpass north of the town including improving the lighting at either side of
the underpass, constructing a raised pedestrian platform on West Road, and a
new roadside barrier on Great South Road.
“The new crossing
and additional safety improvements are the final step in a range of upgrades to
the road network in Ōhaupō which will make this area much safer for
pedestrians,” Inglis said.
The project is
being delivered in partnership with Waka Kotahi.
