Major works cause delays

Delays are expected along Riverside Drive again this week as work continues on the cycleway to Onerahi. Photo / Michael Cunningham

Getting around Whangarei will be a little trickier - and slower - than normal this week, with the continuation of major works near Kensington and Riverside.

The Onerahi cycle and walkway, part of which runs parallel to Riverside Drive, was expected to be finished by July as work to reclaim land along the roadway came to a close.

Next would come pouring the actual path, said district councillor Brian McLachlan. He said trucks needed to lay 60 tonnes of concrete and would be crossing back and forwards across Riverside Drive as they did so, causing delays.

Whangarei District Council advised people to "plan ahead" and allow extra time for their commute on Tuesdays and Thursdays until the end of June, as concrete would be laid on these days between 6.30am and 2.30pm.

The Riverside path was a two-stage project, as the reclaimed land needed to settle before the concrete path could be permanently attached to the clip-ons on Riverside Drive's three bridges.

The settling process was expected to take about two years and temporary approaches would be in place in the meantime to make the path useable.

Mr McLachlan said some of the Waimahanga Track would also be closed from May 23. Two old bridges will be removed and two new ones will be built on the Waimahanga and Boswell Tracks from Pah Rd to the bottom of Sherwood Hill.

Uptown, night works would reduce traffic to one lane on Kamo Rd through its intersection with Kensington Ave and Nixon St. Traffic would be controlled by stop/go men, as contractors moved underground services out of the way for the improved intersection and to allow for the undergrounding of existing power and telephone lines.

The night works, which started yesterday, would be between 6.30pm and 6.30am until Saturday May 21.

Another round of night works would start in about three weeks to underground services on Nixon St. "We apologise in advance for any disruption and appreciate people's patience while these necessary works are undertaken," said a district council spokesperson.

Work was also progressing on widening Kamo Rd north of the intersection, to continue for the next three months. Work to realign Kensington Ave to remove the intersection "dog leg" would then start. The Kensington project would be complete in December.