Extreme makeover fit for a Queen

Queen St will be more pedestrian-friendly

The long-awaited $30 million upgrade of Auckland's golden mile will start on January 4 with the aim of re-establishing Queen St as the country's top shopping, entertainment and business destination.

The project was due to start in September but went on hold while the Auckland City Council faced public anger with two other central city upgrades, at Vulcan Lane and Khartoum Place.

The council has gone to enormous lengths to ensure the Queen St upgrade goes smoothly, including unprecedented steps to minimise disruption to shoppers and businesses. This includes whisper-blade paving cutters to reduce noise and "ambassadors" on hand to deal with concerns and queries.

The plans have been through extensive consultation and two reviews by the urban design panel to improve the layout, pedestrian and traffic movements and lighting.

Mayor Dick Hubbard, Heart of the City chief executive Alex Swney and Property Council national director Connal Townsend will today front a major public relations launch of the upgrade.

Mr Hubbard said Queen St had been one of the country's most prominent streets for 150 years but it needed upgrading to match the council's aspiration for Auckland as a world-class city.

"Queen St's revitalisation will be the signature event of a $100 million, 10-year programme to ensure the central city's streets and open spaces compare with the world's best," he said.

The project, whose price-tag has gone from $23 million to $30 million in nine months because of changes and rising construction costs, is due to take 18 months.

The aim is to revitalise a tired Queen St. Plans include making it more pedestrian-friendly with wider footpaths, new canopies on the eastern side, better lighting and less clutter. The council hopes to create shorter waiting times at lights and may trial pedestrian countdown clocks signalling the time left to cross.

The new footpaths will be a mix of bluestone with granite insets and red chip pavers recycled from the existing pavers.

Other features will be mature nikau palm and cabbage trees, some existing and some new.

The existing tile murals - made by Jane Morrison, the same artist who did the women's suffrage centenary memorial in Khartoum Place - will be moved elsewhere in the city.

Work will start on stage one outside the Scenic Circle Airedale Hotel on January 4. The next phase will start outside the St James Theatre on January 16.


Queen Street upgrade

Timetable
* Stage 1. Wellesley St to Mayoral Drive - January 2006 to October 2006.
* Stage 2. Customs St to Victoria St - April 2006 to June 2007.
* Stage 3. Victoria St to Wellesley St - June 2006 to May 2007.
* Stage 4. Mayoral Drive to Karangahape Rd - to be confirmed.

Key features
* Wider footpaths.
* More streetlights.
* New canopies on eastern side.
* New street furniture and artworks.
* More mid-block pedestrian crossings.
* Shorter waiting times at lights for pedestrians.

Work hours
* 7am-4pm Monday to Saturday on the road, 7am-6pm Mon-Sat on footpath. No noisy or dusty work between noon and 2pm. Work hours may be extended to speed work.