Construction begins next week on the Malaghans Road Site 5 upgrade and road widening project, said Queenstown Lakes District Council Project Manager Steve Hewland.

The project, which will cost approximately $900,000, would see the widening and upgrade of 850m of Malaghans Road from Middlerigg Lane to the entrance of Remarkables Vets.

The key components of the project would be:

• earthworks for carriageway widening
• pavement widening, stabilisation and sealing
• relocation of existing power poles
• minor realignment to provide a safer driving environment
• clearing and upgrading of the existing stormwater system
• tree trimming to allow earthworks and improve visibility.

Mr Hewland said the work was programmed to start on Monday 28 February, 2011 and due to be completed by Wednesday 4 May, 2011. The project management would be engineered by MWH New Zealand Ltd, with Steve Rout Contracting the main contractor.

“Malaghans Road will remain open throughout the works although some minor delays may be encountered, “said Mr Hewland. “Access to private driveways will be maintained at all times although some restrictions may be necessary.”

A number of road upgrades were either underway or about to begin in the Queenstown Lakes District. Work on Gorge Road and Lake Esplanade would continue with upgrades on the Glenorchy – Queenstown Road timetabled to begin soon. Work on the Crown Range, which had seen motorists subjected to occasional ten minute delays was expected to finish at the end of March.

“We realise that there is a lot of work going on at the moment but it’s important to remember that we only have a certain timeframe to get vital road upgrades finished before winter hits, “ Mr Hewland said. “We’d like to thank motorists for their continued co-operation and remind them to keep their speed down and respect the traffic controls in place when driving through the areas being upgraded.”

More information on current road upgrades can be found on the QLDC website www.qldc.govt.nz.

ENDS

For more information contact QLDC project manager Steve Hewland ph 03 441 0499

By: Andrea Bunting