Bus hub will bring benefits in the long run: ORC
WHILE some Dunedin businesses are unhappy about bus hub work, the regional council says they will benefit long term.
Fulton Hogan contractors are chipping away at the hub in Great King St between Moray Pl and St Andrew St.
Otago Regional Council support services manager Gerard Collings said overall it was happy with progress, but some businesses on the street would like to see workers gone ‘‘sooner rather than later’’.
‘‘We don’t want to underestimate the impact on the businesses. It would be nice to say work could go on 247, but it’s just not a reality.’’
Long term, businesses in the area would benefit from the increased foot traffic of the hub, he said.
Mistakes from the design consultant meant curbing work needed to be redone as it was too low in the plans.
There would be no cost to the council or contractor from this, Mr Collings said.
So far there was no request for an extension and the council was still working towards a November completion date, he said.
‘‘The contractors have had to work around a couple of things, but they have been pretty proactive.’’
A lump of concrete under the road at the St Andrew St end was still unidentified, but work there was able to continue, he said.
The council was ‘‘disappointed’’ with the mess contractors left in that area, which led to a woman in a wheelchair becoming stranded on the road.
Fulton Hogan responded well to criticism and had been cleaning up after work since, he said.
The hub will include 10 bus bays, electronic timetables, public toilets, bike stands and plantings.