Earthworks start on city river park
Earthworks have begun on the Victoria on the River project in central Hamilton.
The start of the transformation began on April 10, after the then temporary car park just south of SkyCity was closed on April 9.
The car park will be transformed into a terraced public recreation space which connects central Hamilton with the Waikato River.
It will also double as a theatre and performance space and businesses on the edge of the park will be able to open new shopfronts to the public.
Council bought the property and commercial building in 2009. In 2010, the building, formerly the Waikato Times office, was demolished.
The Hamilton City Council has approved a $4.9 million construction budget to get the CBD opening out to the river.
The river path below the site closed for the duration of the project, meaning path users must detour along Victoria Street to Grantham Street.
The work on the site will pause over winter and resume in October for Stage Two. This will see the development of the site and creation of links to the river, landscaping and planting.
The entire project is expected to take about 10 months and is reliant on good weather.
Victoria on the River is expected to open early next year.