Eli Te Huia, 5, finds road works on Clayton Rd cool because he gets to watch the diggers. Photo / Kelly Makiha
Eli Te Huia, 5, finds road works on Clayton Rd cool because he gets to watch the diggers. Photo / Kelly Makiha
Clayton Rd residents are looking forward to their new-look street once months of road works are finished, but they've got a bit longer to wait yet.
The $2.1 million upgrade will help accommodate development in the Western Heights area, will better manage stormwater during floods and will make the areasafer for all road users.
There will also be a shared pathway built connecting to Pukehangi Rd.
Traffic on Clayton Rd hasn't been flowing freely since the roadworks started. Photo / Kelly Makiha
Rotorua Lakes Council said on its website the stormwater infrastructure improvements would increase the capacity of the roadside drains and capture stormwater runoff that flowed from the slopes of Mt Ngongotahā.
The council said the added stormwater capacity would allow for increasing development in the area and make the area better prepared for flooding.
Construction involves converting the estimated 375m of open drains on Clayton Rd to underground pipes, which will create space to build a shared path on the surface.
This will connect with the shared path at Pukehangi Rd and help to provide a safer and more direct route for local school students and people walking, running and cycling.
Stop/go traffic control has been operating on Clayton Rd for several weeks. Photo / Kelly Makiha
The major works were set to start in March but had to be paused when the country plunged into alert level restrictions as a result of Covid-19.
Infrastructure group manager Stavros Michael said it was originally hoped the stormwater upgrades would be finished by the end of October but it was now expected to be finished next week.
Construction of the shared path would begin after the holiday period, Michael said.
The delay had been caused by "unfavourable ground conditions" needing careful handling followed by a period of heavy rain and adjustments to the timing of the work to align with school holidays.
The upgrade will improve the stormwater system and will eventually see a shared path created. Photo / Kelly Makiha
But Clayton Rd residents spoken to by the Rotorua Daily Post said they didn't mind the road works and had got used to them by now, despite having to wait in stop/go queues.
There was even excitement about the roadworks for 5-year-old Eli Te Huia who got to see diggers and trucks right outside his house.
For his father, Jeremy Te Huia, mother, Zara Morrison and 3-year-old sister Awatea, the roadworks haven't been hard to cope with.
"They seem to be moving pretty quickly. It's more the hoons at night that are more annoying," Jeremy Te Huia said.
A new shared path will be built in the new year. Photo / Kelly Makiha
Darryl Rogers, who also lives on Clayton Rd, said they were a retired couple who didn't go out much so the roadworks didn't bother them.
