Houghton Bay Roundabout Safer
Tuesday 7 August 2012, 1:19PM
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Traffic improvements underway in Houghton Bay Road will make a big difference to the safety of motorists, cyclists and pedestrians.
Work is under way on the $330,000 project that includes:
- a shared path for cyclists and pedestrians
- a new car park
- a new pedestrian crossing point.
There will be a new footpath and pedestrian crossing on Houghton Bay Road, and the new car park will be on the beach side of The Esplanade.
The Council's Transport Portfolio Leader, Councillor Andy Foster, says The Esplanade is a busy arterial route carrying a lot of heavy traffic to the Southern Landfill as well as sightseers, cyclists and pedestrians - so it is timely to sort out the intersection.
A crossing point on The Esplanade will also link Houghton Bay residents to the beach area and the shared path.
The cycleway will connect the beach to the car park, and will eventually join up with the Great Harbour Way, which will run from Fitzroy Bay to Sinclair Head.
A 2.5 metre propeller from the former HMNZS Wellington will form part of a new memorial to the former frigate on the planted buffer strip between the car park and the road. The ship was decommissioned and scuttled off Houghton Bay in 2005.
Councillor Foster says the roundabout will also undoubtedly make the intersection safer and is "a win for motorists, cyclists, pedestrians and Houghton Bay residents."
The improvements come after a period of extensive consultation in which Community Engagement Portfolio Leader, Councillor Paul Eagle, and Council staff worked with local residents to address their safety concerns.