CBD upgrade month ahead of schedule

Napier City Council director of infrastructure Jon Kingsford.

Mild winter weather and no hiccups in construction has pushed the Napier CBD upgrade of stormwater piping and road and paving redevelopment a month ahead of the original schedule.

The third stage of the full programme, from Tennyson St to Emerson St is nearing completion and work is also well advanced on the fourth stage at the closed Tennyson St and Hastings St intersection.

Napier City Council director of infrastructure Jon Kingsford said that as the above-ground work came close to being wrapped up the security fences in the affected areas would be replaced by barriers.

He said pedestrians and motorists could expect things to return to normal in the stage three area in the next couple of weeks.

"Since construction has been going so well, we've decided to push it a little further. This month and in September we'll be carrying out additional work in Browning Street to capture more stormwater runoff from Shakespeare Road."

The project was originally scheduled to run through to October but the good conditions and progress of council and contracting crews had reduced that.

Work had now begun on the sixth stage of the programme of Tennyson and Emerson through to Shakespeare Rd and involves laying new stormwater drains as well as a new design layout.

The upgrade follows the upgrade of the Hastings St underground infrastructure, and the street surface between Albion Lane and Emerson St last year.

The above-ground design, which will be carried through the full CBD stretch of Hastings St, includes wider footpaths, a revamped parking layout, new plantings and street furniture to give it a more comfortable pedestrian and shopper feel.

Mr Kingsford said the council would make the general public and retailers in the area aware of any potential traffic flow disruptions in the areas.

Planning for this stage of the CBD upgrade began in 2010 and is part of a city-wide response to flood-prone areas.

All the major new pipelines will connect through to the Marine Parade stormwater outfall underneath the viewing platform.