Extension to Cambridge shared pathway welcomed

Cambridge Middle School on the corner of Clare and Grey Streets.

Cambridge Middle School students will soon be able to cycle, walk and scoot safely to school, with the extension of the Cambridge pathway project about to get underway.

Construction on Clare and Grey Sts will start in early November.

The plans include turning the Hamilton Rd and Grey St intersection into a full cul-de-sac, upgrading pedestrian crossing points and footpaths and extending the new walking and cycling path.

Cambridge Middle School board chair Vanessa Markwell said the school community was pleased to see additional crossings and the increase in safety measures to support and protect its students.

“It’s great to see this section of the project being completed, the changes will help to reassure our school community that our children have more safe spaces to cross the roads around the school,” she said.

The new cul-de-sac will create a safe path for people walking and cycling and eliminate through traffic from Grey St onto Hamilton Rd, reducing the number of vehicles in the neighbourhood.

School parents and nearby residents should expect some delays while the work is in progress, and the council is working with the contractors Camex to minimise disruption during pick-up and drop-off times.

The works include:

• Raised intersection and zebra crossings at the Clare and Grey St junction
• Grey Street from Hamilton Rd to Williams St will be made cycle-friendly so cyclists and pedestrians can safely share the street with cars
• Traffic calming and low-speed traffic zones installed on Clare and Grey Sts
• The northern leg of the Hamilton Rd/Grey St intersection will have the left turn exit lane removed to become a full cul-de-sac.

Construction is expected to be finished by the end of January, in time for the new school year.

New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi provided $7.2 million in funding for the full Cambridge Pathway project as part of its programme to create more transport choices across New Zealand. The remaining $3m has come from the council’s Long Term Plan 2021-2031 budget for urban mobility projects.