The Local - Mt VictoriaThe Kent and Cambridge intersection with Courtenay Place will soon become a construction zone, as the first part of the controversial Golden Mile upgrades gets underway. Jane O’Loughlin reports.
In April, an 8-month project will get underway to line up Courtenay Place with the Embassy, instead of Majoribanks Street.
The length of time to carry out work on one corner is partly due to restrictions on when the work can be carried out, as the busy intersection needs to remain open to some traffic in the meantime.
It also means Wellington will be faced with a double-whammy of construction affecting traffic in the area, with work on the Kent and Cambridge intersection to start while the current project by Wellington Water on Wakefield Street continues – and is already causing considerable disruption.
Overall, the Golden Mile project promises to deliver wider footpaths, improved lighting, larger outdoor dining areas, more public seating, a cycle path, and importantly, new non-slippery paving stones.
The council will also undertake infrastructure upgrades, such as replacing pipes, at the same time.
The information was released by the Wellington City Council in a briefing to media headed by Mayor Tory Whanau, who has championed the Golden Mile revamp.
Mayor Whanau said it was Wellington’s ‘turn’ to get its city centre revitalised, after Dunedin, Auckland, and Christchurch had all successfully done so.
“This project is an investment in the future of our city. It's a transformational project that we need to make Wellington a world class destination, as well as well as a city that we can be proud of.
“There'll be tons of outdoor dining, nature and trees running through the city, and it will become the community space where people want to be. We know there will be short term disruptions, but the long-term benefits will be huge.”
Although presenting the April start date as the Mayor’s flagship project finally coming to fruition, contracts have yet to be signed for the Courtenay Place part of the project and are not guaranteed to be signed before local body elections get underway later in the year.
This means that the project could be overturned by a future council.
More information about the design, including a fly through animation, can be found on the Wellington City Council website wellington.govt.nz
