Work to create a safer, better-connected Waipawa main street starts Monday

Work to deliver on the community’s vision for Waipawa’s main street will get underway this coming Monday 19 February, with Tūpore Infrastructure starting construction of trial traffic interventions overnight.

The project, which is substantially funded by NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, involves trialling temporary innovative speed reduction measures, improved walking connections, temporary traffic calming measures and a temporary roundabout at the Ruataniwha Street/SH2 intersection. The temporary measures seek to deliver on the ‘key moves’ identified by community in its Waipawa Town Centre Plan developed in 2020.

Changes to the street will help ensure State Highway 2 is celebrated as an important transport link while also helping to create a place where people want to stop and shop. Traffic calming interventions into and through Waipawa will help to slow traffic and encourage visitors to enjoy the main street, as well as recognising the unique historic character of Waipawa with new planter boxes and bollards that will serve as safety interventions and enhance the vibrancy of the town. 

Central Hawke’s Bay District Council Chief Executive Doug Tate says the team are looking forward to getting the project started: “This externally funded project is critical to delivering on the vision for our town centres, a strategic priority heard clearly in the development of Project Thrive,” says Mr Tate. “We’re looking forward to being able to begin to deliver on the long-held aspirations community have had for many years for Waipawa’s main street.”

Mr Tate says the road changes are temporary in nature, with the interventions able to be adapted after monitoring to see what works or doesn’t, or even removed if found they are not successful. Successful changes will remain in place until Council can secure funding for a permanent change.

Planned construction will take place at night by contractors Tūpore - between 7 pm and 6 am, Sunday to Thursday - over the next few months.

“We’ve been working with Tūpore to develop a construction timetable that will deliver these long-called-for changes as quickly as we can to the community, and we have put in place as many practical measures as possible to keep disruptions to road users, businesses and residents to a minimum.” 

All works will be completed overnight with a priority give way in place most of the time. There will be a northbound detour in place overnight in mid-April to install the temporary roundabout at the SH2/Ruataniwha Street intersection.

There are no planned works or detours during the day. The planned construction timetable for the trial safety and connectivity interventions is as follows:  

• 27 February–4 April: construction of raised platform near Madge Hunter Park
• 5 March–5 April: construction of pedestrian crossing near BP Station
• 19 March–8 April: construction of pedestrian crossing near the library
• 5 April–26 April: construction of roundabout at SH2/Ruataniwha Street intersection.

The community will have the opportunity to give feedback once all the trial interventions are in place through the Council’s website. Anyone with questions or concerns is encouraged to call Council on 06 857 8060 or email streetsforpeople@chbdc.govt.nz.

To read more about Streets for People in Waipawa, visit Streets for People | Central Hawke's Bay District Council (chbdc.govt.nz). View the temporary changes here: https://youtu.be/GrttaR7MC8M

16 February 2024

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