Council begins work on major bypass roading project

 Work begins today to close the railway crossing and intersection at Ness and Tyne streets - one of four projects being undertaken as part of a $1.35 million roading upgrade to extend the southern end of the heavy traffic bypass through to the west of the Invercargill city centre.

Invercargill City Council Roading and Solid Waste Asset Manager Tom Greenwood said closure of the Ness and Tyne streets intersection was necessary to allow Council to create a new railway crossing on an extension of Bond Street, as part of the bypass.

“We are not allowed any additional railway crossings so we have chosen to close the one at Ness Street as it is the least used route across the rail and it will also enable Council to create a parking precinct for the SIT campus,” Mr Greenwood said.

The other three major projects to be undertaken are:
• An extension to the heavy traffic bypass at Bond Street and a new intersection at Clyde Street - This will mean that heavy traffic will travel along Bond Street to a new extension which will begin at the Bond and Annan streets bend and will come out at a new intersection to be created near the corner of Clyde Street and Balmoral Drive.
• A new roundabout at the Bond and Tweed streets intersection - This will improve safety at the intersection and also enable heavy traffic to get across this intersection easily and travel further along Bond Street either towards the refuse station or to the new bypass extension. There will also be new cycle/pedestrian lanes through the new roundabout which continue onto the Tweed Street overbridge.
• Improvements to the Tweed Street overbridge and the Tweed and Liddel streets intersection - This will allow a safe passage for cyclists/pedestrians continuing across the Tweed Street overbridge and through the intersection at Liddel Street. Traffic on Liddel Street will no longer be able to drive through the intersection across Tweed St.

Works Infrastructure have been commissioned to undertake the roading upgrade which is expected to be completed by March 2008.
“We apologise in advance for any inconvenience to motorists while this work is being carried out and ask that they drive carefully through the working areas,” Mr Greenwood said.