Key street returns to two lanes next week
A key road in the central city will reopen to two-way traffic as the ‘‘big picture’’ for downtown Christchurch begins to come together.
Manchester St will have both lanes open for the first time in about two years on Monday as Crown rebuild company Ota¯karo ¯ nears the end of an extensive $20 million upgrade of the busy street.
Work is expected to be finished by August and is on budget.
The road has been one-way only since August 11, 2016, when workers began widening the road and footpath, adding bus lanes and planting trees and other landscaping. The overall works began in May 2016.
The works are months behind the original schedule, in part because of a funding freeze implemented by former Rebuild Minister Gerry Brownlee over concerns with the controversial An Accessible City transport plan.
The disruption has strained businesses along the stretch, with at least one bar closing after losses of $240,000.
The move to two-way represents a light at the end of a tunnel Indian Sumner CBD owner Arvind Singh said he and his business partners have been working 75-hour weeks with no wages to keep their business afloat, leaving Singh little time to spend with his young son.
All businesses on the street were looking forward to custom returning to their businesses as the work finished, he said.
A neighbouring business had already hired a new staff member, and Singh hoped to hire up to three people so he could cut his hours back, if business improved.
‘‘I don’t want to be doing 75 hours for the rest of my life.’’
It had been a ‘‘really difficult journey so far’’ but business had been getting better compared to last year.
The first townhouses of One Central were getting closer to completion: the ‘‘big picture’’ for central Christchurch was looking beautiful, but it was ‘‘going to take some time to get drawn’’, he said.
An O¯ ta¯ karo spokeswoman said work on the road was complete, apart from completion of the bus stops and the upgrade to the intersection of Manchester and Armagh streets.
Glass and finishing paving had yet to be installed at the bus stops on the block between Gloucester and Worcester streets. The old traffic signals on the Manchester and Armagh streets intersection were to be replaced before final asphalting of the footpaths.
Any work after that would likely be tidying up minor defects and planting, the spokeswoman said.
The Manchester St upgrade is part of the controversial An Accessible City transport plan, which appears to have stalled after being criticised by politicians and business owners.
The next project in line, an upgrade to Victoria St, was due to start in July 2017, but remains on hold a year later, causing uncertainty for businesses on the street.