A package of improvements - including new shared pathways, intersection safety improvements and signalised pedestrian crossings - have been confirmed for Rotorua's Central Corridor.
The project also involves Rotorua Lakes Council taking back State Highway 30A to manage as a local arterial road, once construction is complete.
Construction is subject to funding and will likely begin between late-next year and early-2022.
Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency is working with Rotorua Lakes Council to upgrade State Highway 30A/Amohau St, from Old Taupō Rd to Sala St, also known as the Central Corridor.
Detailed design for the project is now complete and the improvements for the corridor have been finalised.
Waka Kotahi acting portfolio delivery manager Jo Wilton said the improvements had been finalised following several rounds of consultation with stakeholders, affected businesses and property owners, and the wider public.
Detailed design of Rotorua's Central Corridor confirmed. Photo / Supplied
"We've worked closely with the Rotorua community to ensure the improvements we construct consider the feedback and needs of those who know their community best.
"We are confident this project will create a much safer and enjoyable city centre environment for locals and tourists alike."
She said the project would focus on improving access and safety for all types of travel, supporting the revitalisation of the city centre with one of the project's priorities being to reduce the existing conflict between cyclists, pedestrians and vehicles.
The design includes a new shared path on both sides of the road, safety improvements to key intersections such as State Highway 30A/Pukuatua St, new signalised pedestrian crossings and upgrading existing crossing points.
The project also involves the taking back of State Highway 30A, meaning ownership of the road will be handed over to the council to manage as a local arterial road, once construction is complete.
Rotorua Lakes Council's infrastructure general manager Stavros Michael said the project would greatly improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists, help to balance traffic flow and provide better connectivity for the community.
"We are pleased to see this piece of work progressing and look forward to construction getting under way.
He said the road was important and busy, and the upgrades were needed to ensure a "better overall outcome for our community and especially our CBD".
"It is also great to see Waka Kotahi include shared pathways as part of this project, which will connect our shared path network from east to west and complement our community's increasing use of alternative modes of transport."
The Central Corridor is part of the Connect Rotorua programme to futureproof two of Rotorua's key transport networks: State Highway 30A/Amohau St and State Highway 30/Te Ngae Rd (the Eastern Corridor).
More information about the Central Corridor and Connect Rotorua, including a full map of the Central Corridor improvements, can be found online.
