A major part of the Te Ara Rimu Pathway project in Kihikihi will wrap up this week with work completed on Whitmore Street and the road fully open.
Construction of the other phases of Kihikihi’s new walking and cycling pathways will be completed in three months.
Transportation manager Bryan Hudson said Whitmore Street was a major part of the project, so finishing this section and reopening the road was a great milestone to achieve.
Tomorrow construction will commence on two raised zebra crossings outside the Space Centre and bus stop, and at the Whitmore and Rolleston Streets intersection.
Contractors will now move onto building the new roundabout at the Herbert Street, Flat Road and Rolleston Street intersection on Monday. This will take six weeks to complete.
“We have experienced some delays due to the weather. Winter can be unpredictable, and our contractors are doing their best to finish the work as promptly as they can,” Hudson said.
Completed works to date include:
- Cul-de-sacs formed on Moule, Rolleston, Hall and Whitaker Streets
- A new roundabout at the intersection of Oliver and Whitmore Streets
- A pedestrian crossing with lights outside Kihikihi School,
- A pathway on Rolleston Street, with small tidy ups still needed.
Construction will start from late September to mid-October for the remaining two cul-de-sacs on Grey and Bryce Street.
“The last section of the pathway to be built is on Oliver Street, between Whitmore and Bryce Streets. This will be finished by November at the very latest.”
The community will benefit from the fruit trees planted at the end of the newly formed cul-de-sacs on Hall, Whitaker, Rolleston and Moule Streets. These include limes, lemons, mandarins, oranges, feijoas and plums.
