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Orewa intends to reinvent itself as a chic seaside resort and boutique business centre to ensure it thrives after its motorway bypass opens at Anniversary Weekend.
A tree-lined boulevard will replace the "wall of steel" formed by State Highway 1 traffic which cuts off the town's shops from the 3km beach.
For more than a decade, town leaders have pushed to calm the flow of trucks and cars passing along the business centre and beachfront.
"Highway traffic has dictated what we could and could not do," said Leanne Smith of Destination Orewa.
"Our main aim has been to reconnect the town centre with the beach, so removing heavy traffic from the highway will be a huge plus in achieving that."
Destination Orewa thought the bypass could remove up to 70 per cent of daily through traffic, based on what happened on the old Greenhithe main road after its bypass.
But the fall of retail sales in the town centre could be as little as 5 per cent. After all, the road would be the toll-free alternative route to the Alpurt B2 motorway, said Mrs Smith.
The beach near the shops would remain a drawcard for visitors and tourists. Orewa's village-style shops also drew those who did not like mall-type shopping as at Albany.
"We are looking forward to the road being more pedestrian-friendly and a boulevard of trees planted to create a beautiful public environment," said Mrs Smith.
"Businesses fronting the road will be encouraged to offer outside dining."
Work starts after the school holidays on construction of the boulevard. In the first $2 million stage, the 300m between Tamariki Ave and Moana Ave will get a slimmer concrete carriageway and wider block paved footpaths, with planting. The revamp might later include 2km of road between Centreway Rd in the south and West Hoe Rd in the north.
Rodney District Council infrastructure director Murray Noone said the boulevard design met the New Zealand Transport Agency's need for a 10m wide carriageway because the road was the free alternative to the motorway and also the only route for oversize transporters.
The council was negotiating with the agency with a view to taking over the state highway through the town from the tunnels at Johnstone's Hill to Silverdale's motorway interchange.
The agency is contributing $885,000 towards the boulevard's first stage.
