The city lawn outside the Britomart train station in Lower Queen St is being removed for construction on the $3.4 billion City Rail Link (CRL).
Last year's removal of buses from the area allowed the street to be set up as a public space with artificial grass, surface paint and artwork. It has become a meeting point, a transit space, a transport thoroughfare and a surprise space with buskers, art installations, tour promoters, interactive community events and food stalls. It hosted the launch of work on the CRL last June.
Although surrounded by construction zones, the area has proved popular with visitors and locals, especially in summer when deck chairs were set up.
It will now become a construction zone as contractors prepare for the cut and cover works to build the CRL twin tunnels from the outer platforms at Britomart, under the Commercial Bay development on the old Downtown Shopping Centre site and up Albert St.
Pedestrian access will provided at all times from Quay St to Customs St and to Britomart Station, as will vehicle access to Tyler and Galway Streets.
In the work site around Britomart, access to the entrance at the rear of the station will continue to be available on the east side of Lower Queen St from Quay St to Tyler St and from Galway St to Custom St.
On the west side, there is a proposal for a 5-metre walkway from Quay St to Zurich House and then 9m to Customs St. Some of the walkways will be open and some through containers where a work site is crossed. The walkway will change during different construction phases.
Early next month, the pack-down of Lower Queen St will begin when trees and i-Site get new homes and the grass is given a final mow before construction hoardings go up.