The wait is over for residents of Cambridge’s historic Hall Street with work set to begin on a series of improvements to the street.
Hall Street is one of the oldest streets in Cambridge and is known for its large heritage trees and wide grass berms.
Consultation on the improvements was done last year, with feedback from residents incorporated into the final plan. The works aim to reduce the flooding and fix road surfaces as well as improving pedestrian safety at key intersections.
Transportation manager Bryan Hudson acknowledged the works had been a long-time coming and was grateful for the feedback from Hall Street residents.
“Residents were positive about the improvements. However, there was concern about how we were going to look after the trees while we do the work. Arborists recommended we started in the autumn months as that is the optimum time to ensure the protection of the trees, and they will be assisting us throughout the project,” Hudson said.
The series of improvements to the street will include:
- New stormwater soak holes and catch pits to collect stormwater and reduce flooding
- Replacing sections of broken kerb and channel
- Altering kerbs and footpaths at intersections to improve safety for pedestrians
- Installing a new central pedestrian island on the Hall Street/Taylor Street intersection
- Extension of the Ngaio Crescent path to the Hall Street road edge
- New surfacing on the shoulders to replace exposed metal.
The work will be done in stages to minimise disruption to residents and is expected to take six weeks to complete. Road re-surfacing will be completed in September once the weather is more settled.
