Thursday 15 March 2012

ROTORUA 15.03.12: All Lake Road businesses will remain open and accessible to customers but motorists are being urged to avoid the road if they don’t need to be in the area over the next few weeks.

That’s the message from Rotorua District Council (RDC) while work on dismantling the old Lake Road railway overbridge takes place, starting on Monday [19 March].

From Monday a small section of Lake Rd between the railway and Bennetts Rd will be closed to through traffic for a period of up to a month so the bridge can be safely dismantled as part of major works to upgrade and four-lane Lake Road.

RDC works manager Peter Dine says Lake Rd businesses will remain open and all properties will still be accessible while work on the overbridge takes place, but some detours will be in place.

“Council looked at all options to see if we could avoid closing part of Lake Road to through traffic but in the interests of public safety it was clearly necessary to close a small section of the road for a short period. However to get the work done as quickly as possible and to minimise disruption some of our contractors will be working throughout the day, at night and at weekends.

“There’s a lot of work to do over this period, including removal of the existing overbridge structure, installation of numerous utility services and taking down embankments which will then be used to raise the level of Karenga Park in Koutu.

“While there will be some inconvenience we’re making every endeavour to reduce disruption wherever we can, but public safety remains the most important consideration throughout.

“Works are expected to last no more than 31 days, and we’re asking the public, businesses and residents in the area to please bear with us while the work is undertaken. We’re confident that the finished product will be a much safer Lake Road, less congestion for commuters and a much more attractive look for the area.”

Regular information on coming works and timelines for the whole Lake Road upgrade programme are available by email updates (email lakeroad@rdc.govt.nz to go on the update newsletter list), electronic message signs and on the council website www.rdc.govt.nz .

ENDS

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