First steps due in Town Basin road works

Work is about to start on an $8.1 million roading project near Whangarei's Town Basin.
The project will expand to four lanes a one-way 1950s concrete bridge that takes traffic toward Onerahi.
It will also take traffic both ways - to and from Onerahi.
A one-way bridge nearby which currently brings traffic into Whangarei from Onerahi will be confined to pedestrian traffic.
Other changes include two sets of traffic lights replacing the current seven sets of lights in the area.
Whangarei District Council roading manager Jeff Devine said Transfund had agreed to fund the $4.2 million of the $8.1 million project and WDC will fund the rest.
A contract has been signed with Fulton Hogan (Northland) and work will begin this month.
"The first sign that work is underway will be demolition of the old AMP Hall and work starting on the new river bridge," he said.
"There are unlikely to be any significant traffic changes until January, when a temporary set-up will be put in place to divert traffic while the major road works are done.
"We will be making sure it is well publicised and explained as we go along."
Mr Devine said the project was due for completion before July next year.
Long-term plans further along from the Town Basin included a second harbour crossing via a bridge from Pohe Island to Port Rd.
"I want to assure the public that this is still on our long-term strategic plan and nothing has changed there.
"We are doing the Dent St-Quay St realignment first because we can, whereas years of preparation work still has to be completed on the second harbour crossing project."
It had taken eight years to work through all the approvals, design work, tendering, and funding implications for the Dent St-Quay St project.
"Once Pohe Island Landfill has closed and operations are moved to the Resource Recovery Park at Kioreroa Rd we can begin to look at the harbour crossing project."