Shops affected by Hamilton bridge closure feel the pinch of customer drop-off

Road works continue at the closed Claudelands intersection but the shops are still open. Photo / Supplied

As Hamilton's Claudelands Bridge remains closed to vehicle traffic for a third week while the intersection at the northern end undergoes a major upgrade, local businesses and shops are anxious to remind people they are still open.

The city council's public transport and urban mobility manager, Martin Parkes, is keen to say thanks to all those affected as the upgrade works head into the final stages.

Parkes wants to encourage Hamiltonians to continue to support local businesses.

Travel routines have changed since the work started, particularly for morning and afternoon commuters, with Claudelands Bridge closed 24/7 except to pedestrians and cyclists. The extra burden on traffic over the Victoria and Whitiora bridges has seen much slower travel in and out of the CBD for most drivers.

"Thanks for your patience... due to the intersection upgrades, we know the businesses in the area aren't getting the usual passers-by," Parkes said.

"Over the next few weeks, we're reminding and encouraging people that they can still shop locally while the construction work is underway."

One Claudelands venue, The Roaming Giant, is also keen to let locals know they're still open.

"The roadworks have impacted our business. We understand the longer-term benefits for the community, so we are receptive to the works, we'd just love to see all our customers through the next few weeks," said Lindsay Weight, Area Manager for Kāpura, which owns and manages the bar and restaurant.

"We want to shout out that our team would love to see you - as always! We are incredibly grateful to our customers that are still visiting us and would love to see more of them.

"All of our epic daily deals, happy hour, live music, live sport and famous weekend bottomless brunches are still all go," Weight said.

The council says the Claudelands East intersection area is being upgraded so people can travel more safely through the site, and to complete critical improvements to the traffic light sequencing systems.

"While we don't want to disrupt people's lives, roading projects must be done, especially in a growing city with pressure on transport networks," said Parkes.

The Claudelands Road/Grey Street intersection, through to the Heaphy Terrace/O'Neill Street/Brooklyn Road intersection, is currently closed due to construction, with works planned to finish in early November.

"If you haven't already, take a walk, scooter or bike on the Claudelands Bridge before it reopens to cars; it's a peaceful ride and you get a great view of the Waikato River," said Parkes.

This project is joint funded by several areas: Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency is partly funding the safety improvements under the council's low-cost, low-risk programme of works.

Other funding will come from council's Biking and Micromobility Programme, approved by the Infrastructure Operations Committee in December 2021.

For more information on the Claudelands East intersection safety upgrades see the council website. As well as more information you will find a fly-through animation of how the completed work is expected to look.

While safety upgrades are a critical part of the project, there are other elements to the works which require the intersection to close, the council says.

These include traffic signal system upgrades (bringing the Claudelands lights onto the same system as the rest of the city), road resurfacing, and changes to phasing and signal sequences.

When the Claudelands East intersection upgrades are complete, they will link the cycle and walkway network from the events centre, across Claudelands Bridge, and into the city centre.

The area has been identified as a high safety risk, particularly for people who walk or bike.