Construction begins on next stage of cycleway

Construction on another link in a trail that will eventually see people able to cycle from Queenstown to Gibbston is set to begin next week, Queenstown Lakes District Council general manager community services Paul Wilson said.

“Arrowtown based firm Natural Habitats has been awarded the contract to construct the latest stage of the Queenstown Trail,” he said. “This new section will link Tobins Track in Arrowtown to Whitechapel Road and is part of the New Zealand Cycleway initiative.”

The new section of trail will follow the Arrow River from Tobins Track down the existing Millennium Track past the end of the Arrowtown Golf Course. It will then cross the Arrow River twice using a 20 metre timber bridge and a 65 metre suspension bridge before reaching Whitechapel Road.

Work on the new section of track will begin on Monday. The work will require the temporary closure of a 300 metre section of the Millennium Track stretching upstream from the Jopp Street Bridge while culverts are replaced. The track is expected to reopen by Friday.

“We’re asking track users to avoid using this section next week while the work is taking place,” Mr Wilson said.

Construction of the track will continue until mid February with work scheduled to cease temporarily over the busy summer period from mid December till the end of January.